Reunions
by Angel's Baby
Summary: After 10 years the Scouts all come back to Tokyo only to be comfronted by an old enemy. I really suck at summaries so just read to find out
1. Default Chapter

Reunions  
  
Introduction  
  
Where shall we start...Oh, yes...how about where we last left off? Serena was 24. It was ten years after she first became Sailor Moon at the age of fourteen, and she hadn't seen much action since the final battle with Galaxia years ago. She hadn't changed all that much; still a tad clumsy, ditsy, crybaby-ish, all in all the same Serena Tsukino we've all come to know and love. She still lived in Tokyo with her cat Luna, however, she had long since moved out of her parents' house and into her own apartment. It was very spacious, and fit her needs nicely. The year before, she had graduated from a local Tokyo university, with the best grades she had ever gotten in her life. After graduation from Crossroads Junior High, Serena had decided to clean up her act as far as her schoolwork went. She took her cue from her good friend, Amy Anderson, and stuck to her work like glue to paper. She did better in high school, and graduated from the university with flying colors. All of her friends, especially Darien Shields, were very proud of her. After graduation, Serena got a job as store manager at a local supermarket. It wasn't her dream career, however she enjoyed her job, her employees loved working with her, and she made enough money to pay her bills, keep her refrigerator stocked, and even go on an expensive vacation once in a while. Despite her hectic lifestyle, Serena still managed to keep in close touch with her friends and fellow Sailor Scouts. The last she'd heard from Amy Anderson, a.k.a. Sailor Mercury, she had achieved her dream of becoming a doctor, and a very good one at that. She was currently living in a house in China with her fiancé, Greg. Their relationship had gone flawlessly throughout the years, and their year-long engagement was proof of that. Serena was, of course, ultimately jealous. Raye Hino, also known as Sailor Mars, had completed her schooling as a priestess several years earlier, and was now the proud head figure at the Cherry Hill temple. She lived there with the caretaker, Chad, because she needed someone there after her grandfather had...well...passed on. While Chad's feelings for Raye hadn't changed at all in the last ten years, Raye would now only admit she KIND OF had the same feelings for him, however, Serena (and just about everybody else besides Chad) knew better. Raye and Serena still bickered from time to time, but always knew they weren't fooling anybody. Lita Kino, formerly Sailor Jupiter, accomplished her dream of opening up her own restaurant. She went to school in New Orleans, Louisiana, and set up the restaurant there as well. It was now doing very well, despite all the competition Lita had (after all, it IS New Orleans!). She currently hadn't found that special someone in her life, and continued to go by her rule of dating anyone who even remotely reminded her of her old boyfriend, Freddie. (However, she's always keeping her crush on Andrew in mind.) Mina Aino, a.k.a. Sailor V, a.k.a. Sailor Venus, achieved her dreams as well. She was a famous actress and supermodel, constantly making movies and advertisements, and showing off all the latest styles of clothing. She and Artemis have been all around Europe at least seven times. Mina was famous in Europe, Asia, and the United States, so Serena was constantly seeing her face on the covers of many magazines displayed in her store. Of all the Sailor Scouts, it was the hardest to keep in touch with Mina. As far as Serena's boyfriend, Darien Shields, also known as Tuxedo Mask, he went to the United States to Harvard University, and became a doctor along with Amy and his good friend Andrew. He visited Tokyo as often as he could, which still wasn't enough for him. He and Serena constantly talked to each other on the phone, desperately awaiting the day they'd see each other again. Their relationship had gone through many twists and turns and bumps and bruises, but they loved each other now more than ever, which was all that mattered to either of them. Along with the Sailor Scouts and the Prince of Earth, everyone they knew and came to love in the past ten years had gone on with their lives a well.  
  
Serena's best friend Molly and her "boyfriend" Melvin, or "Mel" as he now preferred to be called, had long since moved away from Tokyo together. Molly and Serena keep in touch, but she avoids any chance to talk to Melvin. In the last ten years, all he'd ever done in terms of change was lose the glasses and get contact lenses, and of course the "name change". Serena's old teacher Miss Haruna still had romance problems, but managed to keep her sanity in the process. When Serena graduated from Crossroads, high school, and finally college, Miss Haruna was both surprised and proud of her former (and so far, still the laziest) student. Andrew, the arcade boy whom Serena (and Lita still) had a crush on, became a doctor in the footsteps of his friend Darien, and worked at the local hospital. However, he still worked part-time at the video arcade, where Serena still saw him from time to time. He and his girlfriend Reeta were supposedly still together, but Andrew rarely talks about their relationship with other people. The Four Sisters, Catsy, Birdie, Avary, and Prisma, still had their own cosmetics shop, the "Sisters' Secrets" store. They now had several locations throughout Tokyo, but their first full-sized market was best known and visited, for it was the one they personally owned. Serena makes it a habit to shop there for her make-up needs (mostly because the Sisters give her a big discount!). The Sisters also bicker just as much as Raye and Serena, but they too know they just aren't fooling anybody. Chad, the struggling musician, still worked at the temple with Raye, for whom he would still do just about anything. He had made a fair amount of money in the last few years with the music he's written, so Raye got just a little more used to his occasional singing around the house (but it still drives her nuts). So all in all, the Scouts and their friends are living their lives happily. But how long can it last? Who knows what evil lurks behind the next corner? What dangers lies ahead, stuck in a pothole in the middle of the road of life? Why am I asking these questions, you ask? The answer is simple. Soon, Sailor Moon and her fellow Sailor Scouts are about to face the biggest danger they've ever encountered. What do I mean by that? Well...keep reading and find out, silly! 


	2. Chapter 1

Reunions  
  
Chapter 1  
  
"Reunited and It Feels so Good"  
  
Serena Tsukino opened the door of her apartment, walked in, and slammed the door behind her. She then walked into the middle of the living room and plopped into a black leather recliner. She slouched deep into it, the material feeling good against her body. "Whew!" she huffed. "I am SO glad to be home!" As she spoke, a black, furry object on the floor suddenly stirred. Two ears perked up, two eyes opened, a long tail appeared, and soon the black object got up and stretched, revealing itself to be a cat. It's head, with a yellow crescent moon on the forehead, turned towards Serena. "Oh, it's you," said Luna. "How was your day?" "Oh, your typical day at the supermarket," said Serena. "Not enough people at the registers, constantly running out of supplies, a few costumers complaining about our 'ridiculous' prices, that kind of thing." Serena slouched deeper into the black leather recliner. "I'm glad to be home..." she finished. "Good to know you still enjoy your job," Luna joked. "Oh, be quiet," Serena returned. "Is it me, or is it hot in here?" "I think it is," the cat answered. Serena got up out of the chair, walked to the side of the room, and flipped a switch on a gray panel on the wall. A whirring sound was heard, and the room almost instantly began to feel a few degrees cooler. Serena plopped back into the recliner, and sighed happily as the cool air flowed through the room and around her body. She then looked to the side of the room, into the kitchen area. She could see several dishes peeking out over the top of the sink. Serena sank into the chair and sighed. "Uuuugh..." she complained. "I've got to do the dishes again..." Probably the only thing Serena disliked about her apartment was, for a living area of such size, the only thing it didn't have was a dishwasher! Serena had to wash her dishes by hand when her sink was full, and it seemed like it was getting full quicker and quicker every time. Serena would have gone out and bought a dishwasher, however, number 1, she couldn't afford one at the moment, and number two, she didn't know WHERE to buy one. Luna would have helped her find one, but in this matter she was just as clueless as Serena. So for the moment, they both had to deal with hand washing. "Any calls for me?" Serena asked. "No," answered Luna. "The phone's been very silent today." "Anything at all of interest?" "No." "In that case," said Serena, getting up from the chair, "I'm going to go lie down for a while; it's been a long day, and I need a rest." "Whatever you say," the cat said, laying her head back on the floor between her front paws, and closing her eyes. As Serena walked through the room and towards her bedroom door, Luna perked her head up again and asked, "Anything good in the mail today?" Serena froze in her tracks, then groaned. "Uuuuh...I forgot to pick up the mail. I'll be right back." She turned and rushed through the front door, closing it behind her. Luna put her head back on the floor and closed her eyes again. However, no sooner had she done so then she heard the unmistakable sound of Serena screaming, followed by a loud THUD, as if someone had just clumsily fallen on her face. Luna shook her head in disgust and said, "Some things never change..."  
*** Several days later, it was Saturday, which meant Serena had the weekend off. On days like these, Serena liked to just walk through the city she lived in, say hello to people she knew, and just plain enjoy her time off from work. Today, she walked through the streets of Tokyo, down the sidewalk, through crowds of people. After about an hour of walking, Serena sat down on a sidewalk bench and rest there. "Whew!" she puffed. "I needed that!" She sunk into the bench and looked around. She saw several young, happy couples walking up and down the street, hand in hand. Serena watched them and smiled. She watched one in particular, and imagined the two of them as herself and Darien. Serena sighed. She felt very comfortable in her surroundings. The cool breeze compensated for the warm summer weather, evening things out perfectly. She felt so comfortable here, that she almost didn't hear someone suddenly call... "HEY, MEATBALL HEAD!!" Serena perked up her head and looked to her right, at the source of the call. Even before she could clearly see who it was who called to her , she could tell from the fact that, number one, Darien wasn't in town, and, number 2, it was a female voice, that it could only be one person. At the end of the street, Serena saw two people walking towards her. One was a female, slightly taller than Serena, with long violet-black hair. The other was a man, even taller than the first, with brown hair that almost came down over his eyes. "Hi, Raye!" Serena cheerfully called. "Hey, Chad!" "Hey, Serena," said Raye. "How've you been?" "Oh, great," Serena answered. "Things couldn't be better over at the market. How are things at the temple?" "Unfortunately," said Raye, the smile gone from her face, "things could be better." Serena stopped smiling and looked worried at her long-time friend. "Really?" she asked. "What's wrong?" Raye continued, "Lately, we've been having some trouble with a certain group of teenagers that have been hanging around the temple. They've been acting as stupid as humanly possible!" "You're going to have to be more specific, Raye," said Serena. "By your logic, I can act as stupid as humanly possible." "What I mean," Raye continued, "is that they've been causing all sorts of trouble." "It's, like, your basic gang of hoodlums," Chad explained. "They harass the visitors, they swear, they fight,..." "They even smoke!" Raye broke in. Serena cringed anf grimaced. "Eew!" she said. "Why would anyone want to do that to their body?" "Beats us," said Chad. "Once we even caught in the back with a bunch of spray paint! We chased them away each time they started anything, and they threatened us a few times too when we did." "And after that thing with spray cans, they started throwing rocks at the windows!" Raye said. "I don't believe it!" Serena said. "Was anything broken?" "Fortunately, no," said Chad. "It's a good thing the temple doesn't have that many windows to break!" "It'll be bad enough if they break any windows," said Raye. "If they break anything on the inside, it'll be war, let me tell you! Someone of that stuff is priceless, and irreplaceable! If anything happened to any of that stuff, Grandpa would roll over in his grave!" "Well, I'm sorry to hear about all that," said Serena. "Look, if you two need anything to pay for those windows, I'm sure I can talk to my supervisors, and they can get you some extra money to..." "Thanks, Serena," said Raye, with a smile, "but I doubt your market will want to spend the extra money just on some stupid local temple." "Oh please!" Serena returned. "The market has trouble with hoodlums day in and day out! Hardly a day goes by without some juvenile delinquent causing me some trouble. And as for the money, my supervisors couldn't care less about lending it to ME! I'm always under budget every month anyway, so they have the extra funds. If you guys need it, I can get it for you, I swear!" Raye was taken aback by this. Never in her life had she seen Serena with such a humanitarian attitude. She and Chad both smiled. "Thanks, Meatball Head!" said Raye. "It could help us a lot, but I won't call you unless it gets really serious." "Well, call me if there's anything else I can do to help. I don't like seeing my friends in trouble." "We will," Raye said, then glanced at her watch. "We need to get back to the temple and make sure that gang didn't break in and steal anything. See you later, Meatball Head!" Raye turned and took Chad with her. They both waved, then walked away. Serena waved back, then sat back in her chair and sighed happily. Things had definitely changed between her and Raye in the last ten years. She was happy with the way their relationship went, and was glad to see Raye as content as she was. Not only that she was the head priestess at her own temple, but that she had Chad as well. Even though Raye wouldn't admit it to anyone, Serena knew Raye felt the same way about Chad that he did about her. But it wasn't Serena's job to bring them together; she knew eventually Raye herself would do that. Serena looked at the time, then got up and continued her walk.  
*** Serena continued through the city. About an hour later, she found herself outside the video arcade and ice cream parlor, which was now turned into a full-fledged restaurant. Serena, feeling particularly hungry, decided to get herself some lunch. She walked in and surveyed the scene. The lines at the counter were short, so she didn't have to wait long to make her order. At several tables, she saw young couples sharing ice cream together, and it made Serena reminisce about times she's spent here with Darien. Despite her reputation of having a carniverous appitite, Serena went light on the lunch, that is, compared to her normal diet. She ordered a double hamburger, fries, and a chocolate milkshake. She ate them at a normal rate, not scarfing them down in a millisecond, and actually stopped to enjoy the taste of the food in her mouth. After she finished the burger and fries, she slowly slurped down her milkshake, watching the couples, people making their orders. She was so engrossed in watching them, she didn't even notice the tall, blonde-haired man walk up to her and say: "Hey, Serena! Long time no see." Serena turned her head towards the voice and got a good look at the man. He wore blue jeans, a light blue shirt, and a white apron. He was leaning against booth she sat in, with a small glass of water in one hand, the other in his pocket. Serena's eyes lit up, and she smiled. "Hi, Andrew!" she cried. "Where have you been? I haven't seen you around here in a while! How are you?" "I'm fine," he said. "Things were a little hectic at the hospital, but I finally got some time off for all the hours I've been working lately. How are things for you?" "Okay, I guess," she said. "How are Chad and Raye?" "Could be better," Serena answered. "They've been having a lot of trouble with this one group of teenagers..." Andrew shook his head in disgust. "They're having problems with that gang of hoodlums too, huh?" he asked. "What do you mean?" "We've had trouble with those kids too," Andrew explained. "They've been coming here often, harassing the customers, kicking the machines around, even trying to steal quarters out of the change machine!" Serena shook her head. "I had no idea me and Raye and Chad weren't the only ones having trouble with those kids!" she commented. "Oh yeah," he said. "Everyone in the neighborhood has trouble with these guys. And when they're out of this neighborhood, they harass the people in the area they ARE in." "Kind of makes you think some teenagers are going through some mental disease, doesn't it?" "You got it," he said. "It makes me sick every time I have to chase thosekids away from the arcade." "Well enough about that," said Serena. "What's new with you?" "Not much," Andrew said. "We haven't gotten any new machines in a while, and the customers are starting to complain." Serena smiled, then looked behind him. The edge of the arcade was at least twenty feet from where the two of them were, and there didn't seem to be anyone supervising things in the area. She looked back up at Andrew. "Isn't your supervisor going to be angry that you're away from your post?" she asked. Andrew chuckled, then answered, "Serena, I am the supervisor!" "Really!?" "Yep," he said. "Just got promoted a few weeks ago." "That's great!" Serena said. "Now we're both the bosses of our own business!" "That's right," he said. He held up his glass of water. "Here's to being the boss!" "I'll drink to that," Serena said. She raised her milkshake, and "clinked" it against his glass. He took a sip of water, and she continued slurping down the shake. They both then put down their beverages. "So how's Darien?" Andrew asked. "I know you two keep in touch." "Oh, he's fine," she said. "Things are going great in New York for him." "That's good to hear," he said. "Have YOU heard from him at all?" Serena asked. "He's YOUR friend too, you know." "Oh, of course!" he answered. "He gives me a call every once in a while. We talk about old times, what's going on now, we make a few prank calls..." The smile faded from Serena's face, and she stared wide-eyed at him. "I'm kidding, Serena."  
*** After lunch and her conversation with Andrew, Serena left the arcade and continued her walk. Sometimes, on days like these, she liked to walk aimlessly, just for the fun of seeing where she'd end up. Today was such a day, in which she didn't much care where she was going, as long as she was enjoying herself in the process. And she was having fun, which was all that mattered to her. She made her way down the street, past groups of people, shops, stores, malls, etc. She was oblivious to anything going on around her at the moment, paying little attention to even the direction she was going in. Unfortunately, it was this that made her bump into someone as she turned a corner. Both Serena and the mystery person let out a loud "OOF!", then fell to the ground, the packages the person carrying getting scattered around the area they were in. Serena slowly got up, her back to the person she'd bumped into. "Whoa!" Serena said. "I am so sorry!" "No, it's my fault..." the person said, in a very familar voice. At the sound of the voice, Serena turned around to get a look at the person she'd bumped into. She was picking up her packages. She was a small woman, a little under Serena's size, with long, wavy, dark purple hair. The woman looked up and smiled at Serena. Serena smiled back when she realized who it was. "Catsy!" she said. "I am so sorry, I didn't know it was you!" "Hi, Serena!" Catsy said back. "How are you?" "Oh, I'm great!" she said. "How are you and your sisters?" "Oh, they're fine," said Catsy. "Sorry I knocked all your stuff out of your hands," said Serena, bending down to help her with the packages. "What is all this stuff, anyway?" "Just some extra inventory," Catsy said. "I'm the youngest sister, so Birdie, Avary, and Prisma make ME run all the errands. Whether it's getting more eyeshadow or just taking the day's income to the bank, I'm always the one to run out and do something for THEM!" "Sorry to hear that," said Serena, handing Catsy some of the packages. "Let me help you carry these in; it's my fault you lost 'em." "Thanks, Serena, but I got 'em," Catsy replied, taking the last of the packages from her. They both then stood up. Serena looked towards the white building, up at the sign of the front of it. It read, in gold and silver letters, in cursive writing, "SISTERS' SECRETS". "Wow," Serena said. "I didn't even realize I was walking by the cosmetics shop." "Well, I guess it's just one of those places you run into," Catsy said. "So how are Chad and Raye?" "Could be better," Serena said. "Hoodlum problems." "Them too? That's too bad." she said, then smiled mischievously. "How's DARIEN?" Serena blushed. "He's fine." "So do you want to come in for a few minutes?" Catsy asked. "My Sisters would love to see you, and we just got some great new products!" Serena was about to answer, when she saw a large clock on a lamp post behind Catsy. It was about 7:30 P.M. "I'd love too, Catsy," she finally answered, "but I've got to get home. Luna's probably wondering where I am. Maybe next time, though." Suddenly, a voice behind both of them called out, "Hey, Catsy! How about getting that stuff in here sometime today, huh?" They both turned to the white building, and poking her head out of a glass door was a woman with icy blue hair spun into a braid in the back of her head. It was Catsy's older sister, Birdie. "I gotta go too," said Catsy. "I'll see you 'round." "See ya!" Serena called as she walked away, meanwhile waving to Birdie, who politely waved back, a smile on her pretty face. Serena sighed happily. She was glad she knew so many people who she could really call friends. Raye, Chad, Andrew, Catsy and the other Sisters...it made her feel very good about herself. Realizing Luna would be upset if Serena got home late, she hailed a taxi and headed for home.  
*** Serena walked in the door of her apartment and dropped into the leather recliner in the middle of her living room. She sighed and smiled to herself, then leaned back in the chair. Meanwhile, Luna was getting up off the floor, and jumped on the back of the recliner, looking down on Serena. "You must have had quite a day," said Luna. "You're not ususally back this late from your weekend walks." "Well, I walked a long way," Serena replied. "Plus, I got to talk to Raye, Chad, Andrew, and Catsy along the way." "Well, that's nice to hear," Luna said. "How are they?" "They're fine," she said. "They're all having problems with that gang of hoodlums, but otherwise they're just dandy." "That's good." the cat said, with a yawn, as she lay her head down and went to sleep. Serena sighed again, and the smile faded from her face. Talking to all these friends she'd made in the past made her wish things were like they used to be; Raye bickering with her non-stop, Amy scolding her about schoolwork habits, Darien teasing her every time they met. She got up out of the recliner, and walked over to a bookcase on the right side of the room. She stood in front of it, and pulled on a green-covered book. However, as soon as she pulled it, it pulled back, and a section of the bookcase, made to look like a row of books, turned around on a axel. The section of the bookcase made a full 180-degree turn, revealing a hidden glass display case, that opened up and popped out. Serena looked at the contents of the display, with thoughts of the past running through her head. On the inside of the case, four old relics of the past were displayed. One, Serena's original transformation locket, given to her by Luna to transform into Sailor Moon when her life as the champion of justice began. It had been restored, even after its mysterious destruction years ago. Another, the Crescent Moon Wand, used by her when Zoycite began looking for the Rainbow Crystals, and what she'd used to turn monsters back into humans again. A third, the Moon Sceptor, given to her by her mother Queen Serenity, after she went into a mental coma during a fight with one of Allan and Ann's Cardian monsters. It was what she used thereafter to destroy the Cardians, heal the Doom Tree, and defeat the droids of the Four Sisters and the rest of the Black Moon Family. And the fourth, displayed in front of the other three, was the Imperium Silver Crystal, formed by the seven Rainbow Crystals when Tuxedo Mask had been injured, and what revealed Serena as the Moon Princess, and the past she'd led over a thousand years earlier. Serena stared at these relics in awe, remembering all the times she'd transformed into her alter ego to save her friends and family from some intergalactic demon. To the right of the bookcase, several photographs were framed and hanging on the wall. Serena turned her attention from the display to these photos, and looked at them one by one. They were pictures taken of Amy, Raye, Lita and Mina, and a larger one of the entire group, including Serena. She looked at all of them, remembering... She looked at Amy's photo, and remembered when she'd first moved to Tokyo, and transferred to Crossroads Junior High. Some of Serena's friends were gossiping about her, and Serena decided to get to know her herself. However, their first conversation got off to a bad start when... "Melvin told me that you said I would be a total snob!" Amy had said. Serena laughed nervously, blushed, and replied, "Oh, he did, did he? Uh...look, that was all just gossip; none of us meant a word of it!" Serena looked at Raye's picture, and remembered when a bunch of transport busses were disappearing from the Cherry Hill Temple. Amy and Serena investigated the matter, which was when they met Raye. Raye had suddenly started acting strange, saying she'd felt an evil force. She revealed a white "anti-evil" scroll... "By the power of all that is good, I BANISH YOU!" Raye chanted. From Serena's point of view, all went black for the next 30 minutes or so, because Raye had slammed the scroll on Serena's forehead, completely knocking her out. From Lita's picture, Serena remembered one day (of many) when she was late for school. She ran down the street and around the corner, and accidentally slammed into the leader of a macho tough-guy gang. They were about to pound Serena into the dirt when... "Hey!" Lita had cried. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size!?!" "Oh, I'm so scared!" the leader said. "This girl thinks she can beat me up! Well, I'd like to see that!" As the old saying goes, "Be careful what you wish for." For right after his remark, Lita proceeded to fight all three of them, and knock them to the pavement with a few sore spots. The next time they'd met was at school, where Serena saw her having her lunch alone. Melvin tried to warn Serena to stay away, but she walked up behind her all the same. When she was within a foot of her... Lita turned her head and demanded, "WHAT DO YOU WANT!?!" Even from this bad start, Serena and Lita became friends. Serena looked at Mina's photo, and remembered one time when Sailors Moon, Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter were fighting Zoycite and, for the first time, Malachite. He had trapped them in a black bubble, which was slowly closing in on them, with absolutely no means of escape. It looked hopeless, until... "VENUS CRESCENT BEAM SMASH!!" a voice yelled. A yellow ray of light struck the black dome from the outside, disintegrating it completely, and freeing the Sailor Scouts. Everyone turned to see the person they knew as Sailor V. The mysterious fighter jumped to the ground and removed her mask, revealing herself as Sailor Venus. And from behind the scene, a white cat with the same crescent shape on his forehead as Luna's, jumped out and introduced himself as Artemis. Zoycite and Malachite fled the scene, while the Sailor Scouts looked in awe at their surprise rescuer. Serena looked at the picture of the entire group, and remembered everything they'd been through together in the last ten years. Serena turned from the smaller pictures, and turned to an even larger one, the largest of all, in fact. It was a picture of her and Darien. She sat with his back to him, with his arms wrapped around her, both of them smiling for the camera. It had been taken at an amusement park, by a friends of theirs who happened to be there. Serena looked at the pcture and sighed, then looked to the ground with her eyes closed. "Oh, Darien..." she thought, as a tear slowly ran down her cheek. "...I miss you so much..." "You'll see him again," a voice said. Serena wiped the tear from her face and turned her head, to see Luna sitting on the floor behind her. "You know that, don't you?" she asked. "Of, course I do, Luna," said Serena, turning back to the picture. "It's just that I wish I knew WHEN..." "Serena," said Luna, walking up next to her. "I'm sure, that wherever Darien is right now, whatever he's doing, his thoughts are of you, and how very much he loves you. Don't ever forget that." Serena thought about what the cat had just said. In her mind, she could just imagine Darien saying, "I love you, Meatball Head." Serena smiled and said, "Thanks, Luna." "No problem," the cat said.  
*** Monday came, and Serena was back at work. She was walking down the candy aisle of the supermarket, clipboard in hand, and checking things off as she saw them. "M&M's...check...Bubble gum...check...Milky Ways, Snickers...check...Hershey bars...check..." she said, as she checked things off. As she checked the inventory, one of Serena's employees, a Chinese girl named Nia Chen, ran up to her. "Serena!" she called. "What's up, Nia?" Serena asked, looking up from the clipboard. "I think you should know," Nia said, "that we're running out of everything in the pasta section. People are starting to complain." "Well," said Serena, "have you checked in back to see if there's any more in inventory?" "Uh, no." "Well, do that," she continued, "and if there ISN'T anymore, let me know and I'll put out an order for tomorrow. Okay?" "Thanks, Serena," Nia said, a smile on her face. "No prob," she said, turning back to the clipboard as Nia walked away. Serena continued checking things off on her list, walking down the aisle. She didn't even notice the woman walking up in front of her. "Excuse me," the woman said. "Serena?" Serena looked up at the woman addressing her. The woman was her height, wearing a white T-shirt, blue vest, and black pants, and with a head of aqua blue hair. The initials that were printed on the vest spelled out "A. A.". Serena eyes shot wide open when she realized who it was. "AMY!?!" she cried. "Amy Anderson, is that you?" Serena dropped her clipboard, and the two old friends echanged a hug. They pulled apart, and checked each other out. "Oh my god, Amy, you look fabulous!" Serena commented. "Thanks," Amy said back. "You look great yourself!" "What are you doing back in Tokyo?" Serena asked. "The least I'd heard from you, you got engaged to Mr. Wonderful, Greg!" Amy blushed and answered, "I decided to take a few weeks off of work and pay a surprise visit to the best friend I've ever had. We haven't seen or heard from each other in too long!" "Girlfriend, I couldn't agree with you more!" Serena replied. "So how are you?" "I'm great," she answered. "Things are going wonderfully in China with me and Greg. He sends his regards, by the way. You?" "Oh, things couldn't be better!" Serena said. "Everybody here in Tokyo is doing fine." "Well, why don't we discuss it over lunch?" Amy suggested. "I would Amy, I really would," she said, "but I've got to be here until 5:00. Why don't you stick around until then, and then we can both go surprise Raye! She is SO going to get a kick out of this!" Amy giggled and answered, "Sounds like a plan to me!"  
*** 5:00 came, and as soon as it did, both Serena and Amy were in her car, headed for the Cherry Hill Temple to give Raye the biggest surprise she'd ever had. They parked outside the temple grounds, and slowly and quietly made their way in, trying as best they could not to disturb anyone or anything. "This is going to be so great!" Serena whispered. "Raye is going to be jumping for joy when she sees you!" "I know," Amy replied. "She hasn't seen me since the last time you did." They crept their way through the temple hallways, headed for where they thought their friend Raye Hino might be at the moment. They raced past open doors to rooms that had people in them, and quietly passed closed ones as well. They thought they had it pretty good, until they turned a corner, and bumped into someone. Serena went falling backwards, slamming into Amy, and sending them both to the floor in a two-person heap. The embarrassed pair looked up at the surprised individual they'd bumped into, who stared down at them. It was Chad. Both smiled sheepishly, waved and said, "Hi, Chad." "AM--" Chad began to, say, but before he could finish, Serena shot to her feet and covered his mouth. "Not so loud!" she whispered, uncovering it. "We're trying to surprise Raye; where is she?" "Meditating in the fire room," Chad answered. "Amy, how totally cool that you're here! Raye is so gonna love this!" "Thanks, Chad," Amy said politely. Serena kept creeping down the hall, with Amy and Chad close behind her. The three of them made their way to the fire room, where Chad silently opened up the door. Sure enough, sitting in front of a blazing hearth fire, locked in meditation, was the Sailor Scout of the planet Mars, Raye Hino. "You're sure she won't be angry that we're interrupting her meditation?" Amy asked. "Believe me, Ames," said Serena. "She'll forget all about it the instant she sees you!" The two slid through the door, and stood behind Raye, who obviously hadn't heard them. They waited for a minute or so to make sure Raye didn't notice them, then they both said aloud,: "HI, RAYE!!" Raye shot her eyes open and sprung to her feet, startled by the sudden greeting. She then hunched over in anger and began to turn around. "Serena!" she growled. "How many millions of times have I told you NOT to-- " She stopped when she saw the blue-haired girl standing next to Serena. The scowl on her face instantly turned into a smile. "AMY!" she cried. "My god, I can't believe it!" Amy and Raye wrapped their arms around each other, laughing. It was truly a happy occasion. The first three Inner Sailor Scouts were once again together.  
*** Raye served up some tea and muffins for her friends, and they engaged each other in conversation. They talked for hours upon hours, for Raye hadn't seen Amy in the same amount of time that Serena had, which was a period of about four months. "So what's been going on?" asked Raye. "Not much of interest," Amy replied, sipping some tea. "The hospital can get pretty hectic at times, and things at home can be pretty crazy too, but Greg and I manage." "So how long have you two been engaged?" Amy looked over at a calender on the wall of the room, and say that the next day to be crossed out was June 14. She thought about the question for a minute. "13 months next Tuesday," she answered. "We haven't been able to afford a wedding yet, even on both our doctors salaries. Most of what we earn goes toward food, taxes, and the house payments." "Well, why don't you move into a cheaper place?" Serena suggested. "We would," she replied, "except we figure it'll cost us even more to move now, and then we're right back where we started when we first moved to Hong Kong. And besides, the house payments are the least of our worries. It's getting behind on our payments that worries us." "I'm sorry to hear things are so crazy," said Raye. "It's really no problem for us," Amy said. "Greg and I do what we can." "So where do you plan on staying?" Raye asked. Amy's eyes lit up in astonishment. "Now that I think about it, I'm not sure. I guess I can just rent a room at a hotel or something like that." Serena gulped down the rest of her tea and put her cup down. "Now way!" she exclaimed. "No friend of mine is staying in some over-priced Motel 6!" "Well, what would you suggest, Meatball Head?" Raye asked. "You can stay at MY place, Ames," Serena said. "I've got plenty of room. I've got an entire extra bedroom for you to sleep in, and I'm sure I can scrounge up some extra sheets and blankets too." "I wouldn't want to impose..." Amy began. "You? Impose? No way!" Serena replied. "Sorry, Serena," Raye joked, "but I highly doubt our friend the good doctor would want to spend her vacation risking her own mental health in that bottomless pit you call an apartment!" Serena turned to Raye and replied, "You've never even BEEN to apartment, so you can just zip it!" Amy shook her head in disgust and said to no one in particular, "Some things never change..." The two friends stopped their argument for a second. "Actually, Amy," said Raye, "you'd be surprised how much Serena's changed lately. The ditsy, clumsy, flaky Meatball Head you met ten years ago no longer exists!" "Well, she exists a LITTLE," said Serena, disregarding Raye's obvious insult. "So what do you say, Ames?" she asked. "A few weeks stay at Chateau Tsukino, free of charge on meals and room service?" Amy smiled and answered, "Sounds good to me!" Serena jumped to her feet, threw her hand in the air in excitement, and exclaimed, "GREAT!" she then looked down at Amy and asked, "Uh...what about your stuff. Your luggage, I mean?" Amy's face turned to a surprised expression. She blushed and grinned sheepishly. "Now that I think about it," she said, "I think I left all my luggage at the airport!" Serena and Raye both sweatdropped.  
*** After their afternoon and early evening with Raye, Serena and Amy hopped in the car and went to the airport to pick up Amy's luggage. It took a little while to actually get in, because the security guard wouldn't let them past the metal detector. After about an hour of arguing with the tall, red- haired "gentleman", they finally made their way to the baggage claim, where Amy picked up two heavy blue suitcases, and a small handbag the same color.  
  
After that, Serena and Amy drove back to her apartment where they intended to surprise Luna. Serena slowly unlocked and opened the door and looked in, with Amy hidden behind the wall. Serena surveyed the room, and noticed a black shape moving on the back of the recliner. It turned out to be Luna, who stretched, yawned, and looked at Serena. "Well look who finally decided to come home!" the cat said. "It's nearly 10:30!" "I know that, Luna," Serena said. "Aside from that...LOOK WHO I CAUGHT!!!" With that, Serena reached behind the wall, and pulled out the blue-haired woman hiding there. Amy blushed, smiled and waved. "Hi, Luna..." she said timidly. "Amy!" Luna exclaimed, jumping down from the recliner and running into Amy's arms. Amy hugged her tightly, Luna purring. She then jumped down to the floor and looked up at the two of them. "Oh, Amy, it's so good to see you! However did you find the time to get here all the way from Hong Kong?" Luna asked. "I just asked for a few weeks off, and my boss gave it to me!" Amy replied. "I can't stay away from Tokyo forever." "And what's even better," said Serena, "is that Amy's going to be staying with us in the extra bedroom while she's in town! Is that mega-cool or what?" "That's wonderful!" Luna cried. "How long are you going to be here, Amy?" "About a month," Amy replied. "Then I have to go back." "Only a month?" asked Serena. "Darn!" "I wish I could stay longer, but I just couldn't get the time off from work," Amy explained. "And I can't leave Greg at home all alone for that long!" "Well...?" said Luna. "Well, what?" asked Amy. "When are you two tying the knot?" Luna replied. "You've been engaged for at least a year now, and the wedding is LONG overdue!" "We would have done it a while ago," Amy answered, "but we can never seem to find the money to pay for it. Even though we're both doctors, our salaries simply can't pay for it all. We'd ask for raises, but we're both doing so well at the hospital, we don't want to ruin it." "That's too bad," said Serena. "Look, Ames, if you really needed the money, you should have come to me! I can go to my supervisors over at the market, and I'm sure they..." "Not another word, Serena!" Luna sharply cut in. "You've already told Raye you go to your bosses if those hoodlums broke anything at the temple! I seriously doubt after that they'll allow you to take the money you need for a whole WEDDING! Now enough of this borrowing money from your workplace to support your friends! You have enough trouble paying for this apartment as it is!" Instantly, Serena's eyes turned from blue to red. "And what is THAT supposed to mean!?!" she angrily snapped. "Since when have I had ANY trouble paying for this place, huh, tell me THAT!!! Everything in here was successfully paid for by ME! Yeah, that's right, ME!!! See that refrigerator? And all the food in it? Feel the air conditioning? See that TV, and cable box, and sofa, and EVERYTHING in here!?! I PAID FOR THAT, WITH MY MONEY!!! So don't YOU go telling ME about my so-called 'financial problems', missy!!!" Both Luna and Amy looked shocked at Serena. Luna toppled onto her side, the shocked expression still there. Meanwhile, Serena's eyes turned their normal color, and she looked at her blue-haired friend and her cat in surprise. "Whoa," she said. Serena and Amy both knelt down to Luna's petrified body. "Sorry, Luna," said Serena. "I've really worked by buns off to get where I am today, and get everything I have, and it really ticks me off when anyone says otherwise." "Think nothing of it..." the cat said. "I must say, Serena, you've really changed in the last few years. I really admire what you've done with your life, both at home and at your job. The girl I met ten years ago has certainly changed for the better. "Well, I'm flattered!" Serena said, blushing. "And I'm flattened!" a weary voice said. Both Amy and Serena looked down, and realized they were leaning on poor Luna! They pulled their hands away and smiled sheepishly. "Well, enough of that! Let me show you the extra bedroom where you'll be sleeping," said Serena. Serena took Amy into the hallway, and through a door, into an almost empty room, where she instantly turned on the lights. It was a bedroom, all right. The bed was bare, and the only other things in the room were a brown wood dresser and a mirror on the closet door. Besides that, there was a small window on the side of the room, looking out over the city. "Well, what do you think?" Serena asked. "It's nice," said Amy. "Empty, but nice." "Glad you like it, Ames," Serena replied. "While you unpack, I'll see if I can't find you some extra sheets and stuff. Okay?" "Okay." Serena left the room, while Amy retrieved her luggage and brought it into the room.  
*** When Serena returned with the sheets, Amy was in the middle of unpacking her things. One of her suitcases and her bag had already been emptied, while the other suitcase lay half-empty on the bare bed. "Make yourself right at home," Serena said, as she entered the room. "Thanks," Amy replied, putting some clothes in the dresser. Serena surveyed the suitcase. Even though it was half-empty, it still looked like it alone had enough clothes to last at least three weeks. "Wow, how much stuff did you bring along?" Serena asked. "Plenty," Amy answered, "and a few extras, just to make the room look a little nicer." She told the truth, for on top of the dresser were several pictures of herself and Greg, and one of herself and Serena, along with the rest of the Inner Sailor Scouts. "Nice to know you brought a few momentos," Serena said. She put the extra sheets on the bed next to the suitcase, then sat down. She looked down at the contents of the suitcase, and noticed something out of the ordinary. It was a small, cylindrical, agua blue-colored object, with the shape of a star on the end of it. Serena's eyes widened when she realized what it was. "Hey!" she cried. "You still have your Mercury transformation wand!" Amy turned and took the wand out of the suitcase. "Well, of course I do!" she said. "I never go anywhere without. I keep on me at all times, to make sure I remember one of the best times of my life." "You consider your life as Sailor Mercury one of the best times of your life?" "Yes," Amy answered. "And so do Lita and Mina!" "Really?" "Oh, yes! Mina and Lita have told me themselves how they keep their wands, just to remind them of you and all the things we've gone through together!"  
  
"They never told me that!" Serena said. "I'm surprised the haven't," Amy commented, examining the wand, the light of the room making it shine like a star. "They've told me several times. If my memory serves me correctly, Mina told me she turned hers into a keychain so she'll always have it with her." Serena thought about what her blue-haired friend had just told her, then walked out of the room. Amy curiously followed her. The two made their way to the living room, where Serena approached the bookcase. There, she pulled on the green book, and the secret display revealed itself and it contents; the Transformation Locket, the Crescent Moon Wand, the Moon Sceptor, and the Imperium Silver Crystal. Amy stared in awe at the display, eyes and mouth wide open. "This is amazing!" Amy said. "I had this made while I was in college, to always remind me of all we'd been through. Of you, Raye, Lita, Mina, and Darien. I never once imagined that you and the others did too!" Serena turned to the pictures on the wall next to the bookcase, to the photos of Amy, Raye, Lita, Mina, and the whole group. Serena grabbed the frame of each one and pulled it open like the door to a safe. Inside, hidden underneath the photos, were pictures of Serena's friends in their Sailor Scouts uniforms, all of them in their transformation poses. The one of the group had them all standing side by side, arms crossed, ready for a challenge. Finally, Serena pulled back the frame of the picture of herself and Darien, revealing a picture of Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask, Sailor Moon giving her salute, and Tuxedo Mask holding rose and fighting cane.  
"I always look at these pictures, and remember all the years of  
fighting," Serena said. "And it feels good to know my friends do  
too..." Amy put her hand on her blonde friend's shoulder, and they both looked at the display, and the photos.  
*** A few days later, Serena was back at work at the supermarket. During the day, there were several customer rushes, several people had to leave in the middle of the day, and several products were sold out, but all in all, it was a typical day at the market for Serena. During the day, Serena called home to check up on Amy, just to see how she was doing. She was of course fine, having stimulating conversations with Luna, or just checking the place out. All morning long, all Serena could think about was having her lunch. She would have snacked on it a little, except it was in her locker on the other side of the store, and she couldn't leave her desk, which was covered in job application, which Serena had the displeasure of having to sort through, one by one. It amazed her at the number of people wanting to work at the market, compared to the number of people that actually DID when they were hired. Still, all Serena could think about was getting her lunch. Over the years of living alone in her spacious apartment, Serena had learned to become quite an exceptional cook. While nothing compared to what her friend Lita Kino could whip up, Serena's food still got applause all the same. It seemed like every five minutes Serena was looking up at the clock. She didn't know why today she was so anxious to get to her lunch break, and she didn't care, whether she was really hungry, or just wanted an excuse to get away from the job aplications. Finally, 12:00 rolled around, and Serena jumped out of her chair. She put the remainder of the applications in a stack, picked them up, opened the door of her office, and walked out. Little did she know, however, that after he walked out...someone else walked IN... Serena walked across the aisle, towards one of her employees, a brown- haired high school student named Josh. He had gotten a part-time job at the market, and worked there when he wasn't swamped with homework. Serena couldn't help but feel sorry for him. "Been there, done that," she'd tell him. Today, she headed in his direction and called out his name. "Hey, Josh!" The brown haired boy turned in her direction, and she handed him the rest of the job applications. "Could you do me a favor and take care of the rest of these for me?" she asked. "I've been waiting for lunch all morning!" "Sure thing," he said. "I know what it feels like. It seems like four hours seems like four centuries, huh?" "You got it," she said, walking past him. "And thanks!" She headed to the other side of the building, to a wall of lockers. She fingered past some of them, and found hers. She opened it up, and gasped at what she saw. Nothing. The locker was empty. Someone had TAKEN her lunch. Serena stared in disbelief at the empty locker, then walked back through the store, grumbling to herself. Not only did she now NOT have a lunch, but she knew she didn't have enough money on her to buy herself lunch from the local fast-food place. She walked back through the door of the office, and then stared wide-eyed at what she saw sitting on her desk. On the desk was what looked like a hot, freshly made meal, fully set up, complete with chopsticks, grilled chicken, fried rice, and a side of steamed vegetables. Just the sight and smell of it made Serena's mouth water. But she couldn't for the life of her figure out HOW it got there! "What the--" she said. "How in the world...? "You've been brownbagging way to long, Serena!" a familiar voice said. Serena whirled around to see a tall, black silhouette leaning in the doorway. She walked into the light of the office and revealed herself. She was tall, that was for sure, with long brown hair that was tied in a thick ponytail in the back of her head, held togther by a green, beaded scrunchie. Serena's eyes widened even more. "Oh my god, LITA!!!" she cried, running into the girl's arms. The two exchanged a long hug, and they pulled apart. "Oh my god, Lita, what are you doing here?" Serena asked. "Visiting you, silly!" Lita replied. "I decided to take a few weeks off to come see one of my best friends!" "That is...that is just BEYOND incredible!" Serena commented. "Does Raye know you're here?" "Oh yeah!" Lita answered. "The temple was closest to the airport, so I went over and visited her first." Suddenly, from behind the wall, Raye Hino walked out and revealed herself. "And we decided to surprise you," she said, "to get you back for the shock you gave me when you brought Amy over!" "Well, now we're even!" Serena replied, then squealed with joy. "OOOH! I can't wait to tell Amy about THIS!" "Actually, we beat you to it," said Lita. "We called her from the temple. You should have heard her scream with joy when she heard my voice on the phone!" "Oh sure, ruin the surprise for me!" Serena complained. "But...this is just absolutely the weirdest week of my life! TWO of my best friends come back to Tokyo? Wow, that is just so COOL!" "You're telling me!" said Lita. "You should have seen my face when Raye told me that Amy was in town too!" "I'll just guess for now!" said Serena. "I'd offer you a place to stay, except I already gave Amy my only spare room!" "Oh, no problem," said Lita. "Raye offered me a room back at the temple." "Oh, good," said Serena. "HEY! Why don't we all have dinner at my place?" "That sounds great!" Raye cried. "You got the food, I can cook it up!" said Lita. "Oh, no." Serena argued. "You just flew all the way from Louisiana, and you already made me this great meal; there's no way I'm going to make you cook dinner for four people!" "Well who's going to cook, if not me?" asked Lita. "Yeah, you?" joked Raye. "As a matter of fact," Serena said, through clenched teeth, "I happen to have become an exceptional cook myself! Living alone for the last several years has forced me to learn a few things on my own! I can cook up anything either of YOU could! Plus, I've got this nice big fold-out table for everyone to sit at! Sound okay?" "Sounds all right to me," said Lita. "It's a dinner date!" said Raye.  
*** That very night, the foursome joined together at Serena's apartment. Serena cooked up a fabulous meal, even though Lita couldn't help but want to give her a hand in the preparation of the food, but soon gave up her efforts, as Serena refused to accept help. They all sat down at the table and ate it entirely, talking about old times, new times, what was going on in their lives, and complementing Serena on her surprisingly good cooking talents. "I just gotta say, Serena," said Raye, "I love what you've done with this place! I don't think I've been over here since you first moved in!" "Thanks, Raye," she replied. "That means a lot coming from you." "And kudos on the food!" said Lita. "Even without my help, this stuff is great!" "Complements to the chef!" Amy declared, holding up her glass. Raye and Lita did the same. Serena blushed. "Thanks, you guys," she said, smiling. "Y'know if this was ten years ago, you'd all be complaining at me!" "Well, a lot's changed in the last decade," said Raye. "You're a lot more serious about things, you're responsible, you're holding a steady job, you're a lot cleaner when it comes to you're living habits..." "You financial habits have changed too," said Amy. "You know exactly what to do with your money; you don't waste it on junk food or video games like you used to." "Thanks," Serena said, blushing even more. It wasn't often she heard her friends talking about her like this, and it made her feel good about herself. But she couldn't help but wish some things were like they used to be. She sighed. "Is something wrong, Serena?" asked Lita. "Wha-?" she said suddenly. "Oh, oh, nothing, Lita...just...reminiscing..." "What about?" "Oh, all the things we've been through together," Serena explained. "All this talk about how I've changed over the years...kind of makes me wish I could go back to ten years ago...and go through it all over again...You even feel like that?" "Oh, all the time!" Lita said. "I still remember that day I saved you from that tough-guy gang, and then I nearly blew my top at you when we saw each other at school that day!" Serena smiled. She noticed Lita reach into her shirt, and take something green from her pocket. Serena looked up at it. It was Lita's Jupiter Transformation Wand. "I look at this thing every day and wonder what it would be like to live it all over again." she said. Serena looked at the other two sitting at the table. She saw both Amy and Raye reach into their pockets and take out their transformation wands too. The light of the room reflected on them like multi-colored mirrors. "You see, Serena," said Amy. "Lita, Raye, and I still keep our wands, just to remember you and everyone else." With that, Serena got up from the table, and walked over to her bookcase. All three of her friends followed her over there. Serena then revealed to them the secret display case, holding the four relics of Sailor Moon. Raye and Lita gasped at the sight, while Amy, having seen it before, simply smiled. "This is so cool!" Lita exclaimed. "Cool is such an understatement!" said Raye. "Serena, you never told me about this!" "I really didn't think I needed to." said Serena. "I had it made while I was in college. My roommate was a major in woodworking and mechanical engineering, so I asked her to build it for, complete with the hidden display. Fortunately, she gladly built it for me, no questions asked. I've kept it a secret ever since. Only a few people know about this, now including you guys, Mina, Darien, and the Four Sisters." "Wow..." said Raye. Then, she looked to the right of the bookcase, at all the pictures of the former Scouts, and finally at the picture of Serena and Darien. She gasped, then turned to her Meatball Headed friend. "Oh my god, I am so sorry, Serena!" she exclaimed. "In all this time, I haven't even mentioned Darien's name! How is he?" "Oh, he's fine!" Serena said, disregarding Raye's strange apology. "He's doing great over in New York, and he keeps telling me he'll come visit as soon as he can." With answering Raye's question, Serena couldn't help but remember the time soon after they met; Raye met Darien for the second time, and she found out about his interest in the martial arts, and she almost instantly fell in love with him. The relationship never went anywhere, because Darien had once admitted to his friend Andrew, "I can't even stay interested for five minutes!" The only exception to this was of course Serena, and possibly Serena's "friend" Ann. As they continued the conversation, they were suddenly cut off as the sound of the door opening caught everyone's attention. Serena stared wide-eyed at the door as it opened slightly. What surprised her about this was, she distinctly remembered LOCKING the door when she came in. She knew she had given keys to her apartment, to all of the former Sailor Scouts and Darien...so this could only be one of two people... Just then, the head of a blonde-haired girl peeped in the door. The golden- yellow hair flowed behind her, with a red bow in the back of her head. "Is it safe to come in?" a familiar voice timidly said. Everyone grew wide-eyed when they realizes who it was. Serena, Raye, and Amy all cried out, "MINA!?!" The blonde girl completely walked in the door, fully revealing herself. She wore a blue T-shirt, covered in a white vest, accompanied by a pink skirt and white shoes. No doubt about it; it was Mina Aino. "Hi everybody!" she said, waving. Lita chuckled, and walked up next to Mina. "Oh, and I forgot to tell you guys," she said, "that I met Mina at the airport as I was getting off my plane. We both decided to surprise everyone!!" "Oh...my...god..." said Serena, mouth hanging wide open. "Mina! How on earth did you get here!?!" "I hopped on a plane and flew here, silly!" she said, smiling. "You know what she means, smarty!" Raye said. "How did you find time out of your busy schedule to get your butt over here? I'm surprised you're not swamped with your prestiguous acting career to make the time to see your friends!" "Oh, puh-lease!" Mina snorted. "I've been trying to make the time to get here for the least six, no, my mistake, SEVEN months!!! Even during the short time that I was actually IN Japan at all!" "Whoa..." said Serena. "This is...this is...oh my god, this is just beyond words!!! All of my best friends coming back to Tokyo at almost the SAME TIME!!! This is just SO cool!" "You're telling me!" said Lita. "I had no idea I would meet Mina at the airport, just as I was getting off my plane! You all should have seen the looks on our faces when we saw each other!" "Cool!" Serena cried. "The Inner Scouts are reunited!" "This is, needless to say, quite a surprise," said Amy. "The chances of all three of us coming back to Tokyo at the same time are gastronomical!" "Well," Mina said. "Let's stop talking about how weird all of this is! How are you guys?"  
*** During that delightful evening at Serena's apartment, all five of them talked about old times, and what was to come in the future. Mina was in the works of a new Sailor V movie, and was currently dating a fellow actor, who was to play Tuxedo Mask in the movie. Serena snorted at this, stating there was no one to replace the REAL Tuxedo Mask. Mina couldn't help but agree, but she still thought the guy was cute (and the feeling was mutual). Now, Mina, Lita, and Amy were roaming around the old town, seeing old friends, visiting the Four Sisters (with a stop at the arcade so Lita could check out Andrew), and other stuff, while Serena had to go back to work. As much as she hated the idea of doing that while her friends were out having a good time, she knew she had to work, and there was no getting around that. The others (except Raye, who'd seen the change firsthand) were astounded to see her loyalty to her responsibilities. That very day, Serena rushed in the door of her apartment, and slammed it behind her. She was VERY glad to be home. It had been what you would call "one of those days". She was understaffed the whole day, and things were busy, busy, busy, which was a normal yet still overwhelming thing at the supermarket. Serena then plopped down in her black leather recliner. She looked around the room. She realized she hadn't cleaned up the table from last night's dinner party, and she needed to do some dusting. "Hard day?" Luna's voice asked. Serena looked at the arm of the chair, and standing on the leather and over Serena's arm was the talking black cat. "Oh, y'know," she replied, "Little staff, lots of customers, one of those days." "I see," said Luna. "Well, it must fell good to be home." "You're telling me," said Serena. "If I had to stay at that market a second longer, I swear, the scream I would have made would shatter the windows for a three-mile ratius!" "Obviously an exaggeration," said Luna, "but definitely what anyone in your position would feel." "Who died and made you my psychologist?" said Serena, actually lifting up her head to glare at the cat. "Just commenting," said Luna, who then jumped off the arm of the chair, and started walking towards the open window, and jumped onto the windowsill. "Where do you think you're going, Luna?" asked Serena. Luna, looked back at her and smiled, then replied, "I told Artemis I'd meet him in a few hours. We're going for a night on the town!" "You two have fun," said Serena, remembering the close relationship Luna and Artemis had years ago, and in fact still had. Some would say they were as close as Serena and Darien were. After Luna left, Serena lay her head back in the chair, and thought of her beloved boyfriend, Darien Shields. She remembered countless times she's bumped into him (or vice versa) on the street, and they would get into an argument, which almost always ended in Darien walking away laughing, leaving a fuming mad Serena behind. Only a few times had Serena ever had the upper hand and made Darien angry, and even then it wasn't as satisfying for her as it was for him. As she reminisced, she slowly closed her eyes and started to fall asleep. It had been a long, tiring day for her, so this wasn't very surprising. She did sleep, for several hours. By the time she had opened her eyes again, the sun was nothing more than a flaming red inferno peeking out from behind the Tokyo skyline. "Oy," Serena thought. "How long have I been asleep?" She looked up at the clock on the wall. It said it was almost 7:30. "Two hours?" she thought. "Not bad, compared some of my other 'mid-day' naps." Serena lay her head back on the chair, and closed her eyes again, ready to go back to sleep. She almost did to... ...Until she heard the creaking. Serena's eyes shot open, and she realized the sound was coming from the door. She sat up and turned around to look at the door, and watched as it suddenly blew shut, after somehow being opened! Serena could swear she felt a breeze in the room, then looked at the window, which was still open. She sighed. "Must be the wind," she thought. She got up out of the recliner, walked over to window and shut it, then sat back down the chair. She was about to go back to sleep again, when suddenly, she heard it again. The unmistakeable sound of a door slowly opening. Serena shot open her eyes again, and looked to the door. It was now hanging open. Serena cautiously got up out of the recliner, and crept over to the door. She pulled it open further than it already was, and poked her head out, looking into the hallway, only to find it was completely vacant. No doors were open besides hers, not even the elevator, and there were no people in the hall, minus her head. Serena pulled her head back into the room and looked around, to find that besides her, there was no one to be seen. Serena closed the door and calmly walked back to her recliner and took a seat. "I've been working way too hard,..." she thought to herself, closing her eyes again. And she would have believed this...that is, until she saw the rose. Serena's eyes shot open again, and she stared down in surprise at the red rose, stuck stem-first into the arm of the black leather chair. Serena cautiously grabbed the rose by its green stem, and plucked it from the leather. She stared at it wide-eyed, examining the beautiful flower mysteriously left for her to find after being so conveniently distracted from her seat. After a few minutes of examination and wondering, the look on Serena's face slowly turned from wide-eyed and open-mouthed, to eyes half-closed and smiling. She recognized this "trademark". Serena got up from the chair, and slowly back away from it, moving slowly into a dark area of the room, concealed in shadow, with nothing immediately noticable that didn't exactly belong there. Serena stood with her back to the shadows, still smiling. And even though she didn't see it, she could tell there was a tall, black shape standing behind her... Just then, Serena outstretched her left arm, and balled her hand into a fist. She then, in less than a split-second, she thrust back her elbow, into the shadow of the room. In return, one short, loud sound was made coming right from the shadow: "OOF!!!" Serena turned and backed away from the shadow, and watched as the black shape stumbled forward, clutching its belly with its right hand. As the shape stepped into the light, Serena could clearly see who it was. Dressed in a black tuxedo, white dress shirt and bow tie, a black and red cape flowing behind him. The head was covered in dark black hair, and over his eyes, he wore a white mask, but even through it, Serena could see the man's dark, dark blue eyes looking at her. "Y'know, Darien," said Serena, trying her hardest not to laugh hysterically, "If you wanted to scare me half to death, you could have at least suddenly jumped in through the window!" The man stood up straight, and removed his mask, revealing himself as Serena's beloved boyfriend, Darien Shields. "There's just something about sneaking in through the front door that I find more satisfying," he replied. Serena smiled at him, dropped the rose, then ran into Darien's arm, squealing with joy. Darien swung her around and kissed her on the lips. He finally set her down on her feet, and they pulled away from each other. Serena then lay her head on Darien's chest. "Oh, Darien," she said, "you have NO idea how much I've missed you!" "Oh, don't I?" he asked. "How can I not know when I've missed you just as much?" Serena looked up and kissed him lightly on the lips, and stared into his dark blue eyes, while he stared into hers. "How did you find the time to get your butt over here, anyway?" she demanded. "When something important to you," Darien answered, "you make the time for it! And if it's as important as coming to Tokyo to see the woman I love, then finding the time is well worth it!" "How sweet," she said. "Oh you you are not going to believe this! Amy, Lita, AND Mina are ALL in town as we speak!" "I know," said Darien. "I saw them all walking down the street on my way over here. I followed them for a while because I thought you were with them, but when I found out you weren't, I made my way here. So that's why it took me so dang long to get here." "What time did you get into town?" "About, oh, 6:30," he answered. Serena simply hugged him even tighter. "Oh, I am so glad to see you!" she said. "Not as glad as I am to see you, Meatball Head!" Darien said. "I've been planning this trip for over six weeks! Seeing you is the highlight of my life, and it always will be!" "How long are you going to be in town this time?" Serena eagerly asked. "This time, about a month," he replied. "Only a month?" Serena whined. "That's too bad. I wish you stay longer than that." Darien smiled, and pushed her away so he could look into her bright blue eyes. "Then I've got some news you're going to LOVE," he said. "What do you mean?" she asked. Darien smiled even more. "Well?" Serena asked impatiently. "What is it?" "I'm moving back to Tokyo!" he finally said. Serena's eyes grew wide, and her smile did the same. "Your WHAT!?!" "I moving back!" Darien said. "Isn't that just great?" "Great!?!" Serena cried. "That's a total understatement!" She jumped into his arms again, and Darien swung her around, laughing. "It's the most wonderful thing I've ever heard in my life!" "I see you approve," said Darien. "I already applied for a job over at Tokyo General. They saw my record, and Andrew made a HUGE recommendation to them about me when I called him from my plane." "That's excellent!" Serena cried. "I can't believe you're moving back here! When's the move?" "Well, after I get back to New York, I'm going to work there another month, pack up my stuff in the meantime, then transport all my stuff to Tokyo." "Don't tell me you're doing all this just because of me!" said Serena. "Of course it's for you!" Darien answered. "Serena, I need to be near you. I love you. I've always loved you, and I always will love you. Our relationship has gone through a lot in the last ten years, and I can't let a distance of 2,000 miles ruin that. I want to be here, in Tokyo, with you, to make sure we stay together for as long as we live." Serena was truly touched. She looked up lovingly into his dark blue eyes. "Oh, Darien..." she said. They reached for each other, and they kissed each other, holding each other affectionately for a long, long time.  
*** That very evening, all the former Sailor Scouts saw Darien at Serena's apartment, and were just as surprised as she was. That night, they simply sat in the living room, doing nothing but non-stop talking. Any and every topic of conversation they could think of was discussed. "It's so cool you're moving back to Tokyo, Darien," commented Raye. "I know," said Darien. "Well, I think it' cool," said Mina, "that you care anough about Serena to travel over 2,000 miles just to be with her." "And why shouldn't I?" said Darien. "I need to be around her. Tokyo's where I've lived my whole life, and if Serena's still here, then I want to be here with her." Serena cuddled next to him affectionately even closer, then sighed. Darien looked down at her, with a semi-worried look on his face. "Something wrong?" he said. "What?" she said, looking up a him. "Oh, heck no. Nothing could possibly wrong right now. It's just..." "What?" "Well,..." she said. "It's just that...I can't help but fell something weird about all this...I mean, all of us being back in Tokyo at the same time? Doesn't something just feel a little...off?" "Sure, it's a little strange," said Amy. "But what's so bad about it?" "Yeah, Serena," said Darien. "It's probably just a big coincidence." Serena smiled at him, and replied, "Yeah...I guess you're right..." Or is he? It seems all the former Sailor Scouts are living their lives happily, and Serena's never seen them more content in their lives. And with the news of Darien's return to Tokyo is simply overwhelming. But how long can it last? 


	3. Chapter 2

Reunions  
  
Chapter 2  
  
"Evil Awakening"  
  
When we last left off, Serena recieved surprise visits from Amy, Lita, and Mina, and finally, Darien. Amy and Greg hadn't set a wedding date yet, Lita's restaurant was possibly going to go international, Mina was leading a successful career in modeling and acting, and Darien was going to move back to Tokyo, just so he could be with Serena whenever he needed her, at least the way he saw it, was all the time. In about a month, he was going to go back to New York, work there for another month, and meanwhile pack up his things and go back to Tokyo. He took her hand into his. "It's where I belong," he said. "In fact, anywhere you are is where I belong." Serena looked down and blushed. "That's so sweet," said she, truly touched by the feelings he was showing her. She didn't normally hear him say these kind of things. It was hard for Darien to explain his feelings for Serena in words, but she always knew what he was feeling. The two of them walked together through a large community garden, holding hands. They used to walk together before in this particular garden, until Darien had to leave Japan. Serena walked alone in the garden while he was away, reminiscing on past twists and turns their relationship went through.  
  
"So..." asked Serena, "...when do you start at Tokyo General?" Darien answered, "Andrew was able to convince them to give me a few weeks to unpack my stuff, get settled in, and then I'll start there the Monday afterwards." "Well, I'm sure you'll do great there." "I sure hope so," said Darien. "I don't see why you shouldn't," Serena said. "You said yourself that your supervisors told your one of the best they've ever seen. You're devoted, you're hardworking, everything a good doctor should be and is. And that's what you are too!" "Thanks," said Darien. "That's the kind of support I need, especially from you. Your trust means more to me than anyone else's opinion." Serena stopped him in the middle of the paved sidewalk, and looked reassuringly at him. "Darien, it's not a matter of trust," she said. "I know you're a great doctor. You have the same passion for your work that Amy does. And while her devotion to her schoolwork wasn't always a healthy thing the way I see it..." "I get the idea, Meatball Head." Serena blushed and looked lovingly into Darien's dark blue eyes. "I just love it when you call me that. My life just wouldn't be the same without it." The couple put theirs arms around each other and kissed. They held their lips together for several seconds, until they both heard a semi-familiar voice... "Hey, Darien! Aren't you at least going to buy her dinner first?" Another voice said, "That's enough, young man." Serena and Darien looked away from each other for a moment, towards the source of the voices. Serena saw where it was coming from, and sweatdropped. "Oy vey!" she said to herself. From the other side of the garden, the rest of Serena's family walked up to the couple. Mr. and Mrs. Tsukino, and 19-year-old Sammy. They waved to Serena as they walked towards her, and she waved back. "Get ready to run for it," she silently said to Darien. "My dad's got that look in his eyes...!" "I think I can handle it," Darien replied. The three finally reached the couple, and Serena's mother was the first to greet them. "Hello, Serena!" she said. "And Darien! How wonderful to see you back in Japan!" She extended her hand in friendship. Darien gladly shook her hand. "It's great to be back. Nice to see you too, Mrs. Tsukino. Hey, Sammy; how're you doing.?" "Fine, I guess," answered the younger brother. Darien finally turned to Serena's father, Mr. Tsukino. "Hello, Mr. Tsukino," he said nervously. To both Serena and Darien's surprise, Mr. Tsukino's reply started with a semi-friendly smile on his face. "Hello, Darien. Or should I say, Dr. Shields? Serena's told you became a physician." "I'm...uh...just fine...thanks," Darien said, taken aback by his friendly treatment towards him. Normally, Serena's father would be fuming mad at even the sight of Darien Shields, and each time he was even near her house, he would be chased by Mr. Tsukino, armed with garden utensils. Mr. Tsukino didn't much like the idea of his daughter dating someone older than she was; in fact, he nearly forbid it from the start. But this was certainly a change. "Well, in that case...Darien...it's nice to see you back in Tokyo. It's good to know you've got time in your 'busy schedule' to..." Darien broke in, "There's nothing so important that I can't come here and see your daughter, sir. She means more to me than anything." "Wonderful!" said he. The smile faded from his face when he saw Darien's expression. "Um...is something wrong?" Serena and Darien looked at each other, then back at the family. "Well," said Darien, "I must say I'm a little surprised at the way you're treating me. If this was on your front lawn, you'd probably have chased me away by now!" Mr. Tsukino cleared his throat. "Well," he said, "my wife and I did a little talking about the matter and...um...so what's New York like? I've never been there before!" Mrs. Tsukino handed him a dirty look, and elbowed him in the ribs. Mr. Tsukino let out an "Oof!", rubbed his stomach, and continued... "Uh, sorry. My wife and I had a little talk, and I've decided that, while I can't say I completely approve of my 24-year-old daughter dating someone four years her senior, I must say I have to accept the way you two feel about each other, and I respect your relationship. It's obvious you two love each other very much, and I shouldn't get in the way of your future together." He glanced at his wife and softly added, "There, I said it! Are you happy now?" Mrs. Tsukino shook her head in disgust. "Well, that's a very mature thing to say, Dad," said Serena. Darien asked. "So I guess this means you're going to stop chasing off your front lawn with your garden tools?" "No, I'll still remove you from my property if I see fit!" Mrs. Tsukino gave her husband a dirty look and elbowed him in the ribs. Mr. Tsukino bent over in pain. "Would you please stop doing that!?!" he demanded. Mrs. Tsukino turned to Darien and said, "You'll have to forgive my husband, Darien. He still has some...harsh feelings." "It's all right, ma'am," Darien politely replied. "Seriously, Darien," Mr. Tsukino said, "You're welcome at our house anytime you're in Tokyo." "Well, expect to see him a lot, Dad," said Serena. "Uh...what do you mean?" Serena put her arms around Darien and leaned up against him affectionately. "Darien's moving back to Tokyo in two months!" Sammy exclaimed, "Cool!" "Uh..." said Mr. Tsukino, "That's...that's..." "Oh, that's wonderful!" said Mrs. Tsukino. "It'll be great to have you back!" "It'll be even better to know I can spend time with Serena whenever I want," said Darien. "And I'm going to need her a lot! I haven't seen her in six months, and I miss being with her. It's one of the things I enjoy most." Serena sighed and rest her head against him, smiling. "Well," said Mr. Tsukino, a smile crossing his face, "it's good to know you have such a commitment to my daughter. I don't see why I should ever have had any objection to your relationship!" Mrs. Tsukino suddenly jumped in, "And just for the record...I didn't tell him to say that." Mr. Tsukino dryly added, "Oh, sure, give me a guilt trip, why don't you?"  
*** Darien and Serena continued their walk through the park, and made their way into another garden, that was devoid of people, minus the two of them. It was a garden where they shared precious moments together before; where Darien would say things to Serena he wouldn't normally say in the presence of others; intimate things that they shared. There was no doubt in either of their minds, that this was THEIR private spot. The couple sat down on a bench in the middle of the garden. Darien had his arm around Serena, while she leaned her head against his shoulder. "I'm sorry about that scene with my dad," said Serena, feeling very embarrassed. "Don't worry about it," replied Darien. "It couldn't have been any worse than when I first met the guy. When Sammy first suggested that you and I were dating...well...you saw the look on his face, didn't you?" Serena giggled and said, "Who could have missed it?" "I seriously think he's finally accepted me, though," he said. "Me too," Serena replied. "It's not a usual thing when he says things like that. But I don't think that after today, he'll admit to saying any of it of his own free will!" "That I'll have to agree with." Darien smiled. He always enjoyed Serena's very own pantented sense of humor. It was just one of the many things he loved about her, but he wasn't about to tell her that. Serena glanced at her watch. It was 2:26 in the afternoon. She looked up at Darien. "Wanna get some lunch?" she asked. Darien glanced down at his watch. "I don't see why not," was his reply. "I'm hungry enough. How about you?" Serena raised one eyebrow and looked curiously at him. Darien smiled again.  
  
"Never mind," he said. "I should know better than that."  
*** Now, we change the setting. Imagine a dark, dark, dark place. No ground is visible anywhere, no people are to be seen. The only thing that can be seen from any one spot are fields of gray mist, and ominous-looking pieces of rock debris. It is a dismal place, indeed. Completely devoid of life whatsoever. So dark, it's almost dead. This is the ruins of the NegaVerse. Yes, you heard me right. The NegaRuins, as one might call it, from its destroyed look. Nothing anywhere except pieces of debris, mist, and various large patches of leftover energy, from various sources, left from various villians. This was Queen Beryl's domain, as well as the domain for other evils in the universe. But now it was nothing more than a wasteland. And yet, if you could see this entire wasteland in one outstretched view, you would see something that didn't look like it belonged there. Something that you normally wouldn't find in a wasteland the likes of the NegaRuins. Something intact. Even more...something living.  
*** Serena came home from work the next day, and did what she always did when that happened; slump down into the leather recliner in her living room. The day had been just like the day when Darien visited her, so she was glad to be home. As she sat in the chair, Amy walked in from the extra bedroom, while Luna, who was sitting on the floor, looked up at her. "You're home early," said Amy. "You usually get home by 5:30; it's only 4:30 now." Serena sighed, and tilted her head upwards, so that she looking at Amy upside-down. She said, "You ever have one of those days when you don't have enough people working, and the number of costumers at once is just plain ridiculous?" "Sometimes, yes. Why?" "My day was worse so I decided to go home early." Luna looked astonised at her friend. "But shouldn't there be someone else working one of the checkout points?" "Three guys who work for me came in right around noon, so that calmed things down a little. So they've got two extra people, plus one to fill in for me. Besides, I have some overdue vacation time coming to me." "Did you clear that with your supervisors?" Amy asked insistantly. "Yes. They said I could take off for a few days." replied Serena. She rolled her body around, so that she looked at Amy right side up, with her arms folded on the back of the chair. She smiled. "And all for the better, too," she said, "because now that gives me more of an opportunity to spend time with Darien!" "I'm sure," said Amy, with a smile. "Oh, that reminds me. He called for you." Serena stopped smiling. "Why didn't you tell him to call me at work?" "Because I don't know your phone number there." was her answer. "I would have given it to him if I'd known it, except you never gave it to me." "Well," Serena said, "I suppose that would have been a good thing to do. What did he need?" "Well for starters, he just wanted to give a friendly hello to me and an extra-friendly one to you," she said, with a wink. "And, he'd like you to come over to his apartment sometime tonight." "Call him back," replied Serena, "and tell him I'll be there in a few hours. Right now, I just need to rest." Serena got up and walked into her bedroom, shutting the door behind her. Luna looked over at Amy, who had a surprised look on her face. "I would call him back," said Amy, "except I don't know his phone number either!"  
*** Several hours later, it was almost 7:15 P.M. Serena drove over to Darien's apartment building. She got out of the car, and stared up at the tall building. She smiled, for this building brought back a lot of memories, both good and bad. It was here that Darien babysitted for little Jordan, whose mother had been attacked by one of Alan and Ann's Cardian monsters. Serena and Darien both cared for the child together. She hoped that it would rekindle their romance, and it indeed brought them a little closer together, before Darien fully recovered his memories of the Moon Kingdom, the Moon Princess, the NegaVerse, etc. However, it was also the place where Serena tried to talk to Darien shortly after Reeny first came to Tokyo, when he suddenly broke up with her. She tried to ask him why he had done so, but he just wouldn't give an honest explanation. Serena left in tears leaving Darien behind with his guilty conscience. On the upside though, it was also the place where Serena and Darien shared countless romantic evenings after they'd gotten back together. Serena put the bad memories behind, and remebered all the times Darien had called her here to spend an evening with her company. She loved those memories, and had a feeling tonight would add to the list. She changed clothes before she left her apartment. She now wore a light blue T-shirt, a skirt with a darker shade of blue, and white shoes. Around her neck, she wore her most precious possession she knew she had. The star locket that Tuxedo Mask had given Sailor Moon. Serena took it, opened it, and listened to it play its music. She loved the sound of it, for it reminded her of all the times Darien had held her, kissed her, or just made her feel special in any way. "I love you, Darien," she thought to herself, as she put away the locket, and walked in the front entrance. She walked up the many flights of stairs, until she finally made it to Darien's floor. She walked through the hallway, meanwhile admiring the Tokyo skyline from the large window lining the hall. Serena stopped for a moment to look up at the moon. A crescent. Her favorite. Serena finally made it to Darien's door, and was about to knock, when she saw the brass plate nailed to the door. It read, "MR. DARIEN SHIELDS" She smiled at this. For a moment, she envisioned the words, "MR. & MRS." before his name, then shook her head. "I've been working way too hard," she thought. Finally, she lifted her hand to the door and knocked three times. After several seconds, the door slowly opened itself. Serena cautiously walked in the door, and surveyed the area. It was mostly empty, except for a table in the middle of the living room, which was fully set for two people to sit at, complete with wine glasses. Two candles were sitting on the table, but were not lit, neither were they even needed. The light from the Tokyo skyline illuminated the entire room with a pale blue light. Serena continued to cautiously walk in, even though she couldn't figure out why. This was a place where she knew she could feel safe. She didn't know why she was watching her step so much. She broke the silence of the room. "Darien?" she called. No answer. "Darien?" she called again. This time, the only response was a cool breeze rushing past her. She whirled around, but saw nothing. She looked at the door, which was now blown shut by the sudden breeze. "Okay..." said Serena to no one in particular, "...that was interesting." Suddenly, another cold breeze rushed past her. Serena whirled around again, and this time, the two candles on the table were lit, and the two glasses were now filled with a red wine. Serena stared in awe. She could tell this was Darien's handiwork, but she wasn't used to this kind of...preparation technique, as one might put it. Serena kept walking further into the room, and admired the set table. She looked out the window, and admired the distant skyscrapers. She looked around the near-empty room, wondering where Darien was. Suddenly, a black shape rushed past her, and this time, something red zoomed through the air, and hit the surface edge of the table, and got stuck there. Serena turned back to the table, and saw what it was. It was one red rose. One final breeze swept by Serena and she suddenly felt herself get swept off her feet by someone or something, and she was swung around, tilted backwards, and kissed passionately on the lips. It was only until several seconds after the kiss had begun that Serena realized it was Darien. At first she tried to pull away, but after she realized who was kissing her, she simply closed her eyes, and enjoyed Darien's romantic, if not utterly surprising entrance. Finally, Darien pulled away from her lips, and examined her face. Her eyes were still closed, and she was slightly smiling. It was as if she was in a trance. She then opened her eyes a little, and stared upwards at Darien. "That was certainly interesting," she said. "I wanted to try something new," Darien replied. "And I loved it!" "I knew you would." he said. He held her by her hands, and led her over to the table. He pointed to the seat facing the window. "Care to take a seat?"  
  
Serena smiled and sat down, with Darien still holding her hand. She looked up at him, and clearly saw what he was wearing. He was fully dressed in his black tuxedo, including the white bow tie. Behind, his black cape flapped in the breeze flowing through the room. Darien stared down at her into her blue eyes, smiling. "You look beautiful tonight," he said. Serena blushed and looked downward a little, then back up at Darien. She replied, "You don't look so bad yourself." He smiled even more, then sat down in the seat opposite Serena's. He held her hand, and continued looking in her eyes. He let go of her hand, then picked up his wineglass. Serena picked up hers, and they clinked them together.  
*** Darien and Serena never actually made it to dinner. They stayed at the table talking about old times, and what was to come in the future. They now sat not at the table, but in a corner of the room, next to the window. Serena sat with her back facing the view of the skyline, while Darien faced her with his back to the wall. He'd removed his black jacket and tie, and now wore the white dress shirt and black pants. "And then," said Serena, chuckling, "she said, 'Now that I think about it, I left my luggage at the airport!'" Darien laughed. "Well, she was probably so excited about seeing you again that she wasn't thinking about her carry-ons," he said. "And believe me, I know what it's like to look forward to seeing someone you care about." Serena blushed, touched by his words. "You know," she said, "it's hard to believe our relationship had been going this long. It was 10 years ago when we first fell in love. And after all we've been through, we still have the same feelings for one another." Darien smiled a litte, then looked to the floor, a solemn expression on his face. Serena stopped smiling, and looked worried at him. "Darien?" she asked. "Is...is something wrong?" Darien looked at her again, the same look on his face. "A lot HAS happened in the last ten years," he said. "And...and..." "And what?" "And..." he continued, "...some of it was my fault." "What are you talking about?" "I've done a lot to hurt you, Serena. Some of which I can never forgive myself for..." "I still don't know what you're talking about, Darien." "I've done plenty to hurt your feelings, Serena, even before we fell in love. Like, during the last days of the Moon Kingdom. I left you behind just so I could fight Queen Beryl's army. Or when I was brainwashed by her, and forced to become one of her slaves...I can't even imagine how you felt when I knocked the Crescent Wand out of your hands with a black rose that I threw." "Darien..." Serena began. He put his finger to her lips, silencing her. "I'm not done yet," he said. "And then there's the worst of all. Right after Reeny first came from the future. When...when I broke up with you..." "Darien..." He silenced her again. "Let me finish," he said. "I...left you devestated... heartbroken...and I acted as though...I didn't even care. I can't even begin to believe I could let myself act so stupid. And I didn't even regard your feelings at all. I'm surprised you even took me back after I came to my senses..." "Darien, what are you trying to say?" "I'm saying...the reason I asked you to come here tonight was a good one...but the wrong one..." "Darien, you're not making any sense. You've got no reason to..." Darien silenced her again. "Stop interrupting me," he said. "Serena...I just want to say...that...I'm sorry...for anything that I've ever done to you...to hurt you in any way...and..." Serena began to speak again, but Darien put his entire hand over her mouth. "I'm not going to tell you again to stop doing that," he said. She pushed his hand off her mouth. "Go ahead and finish," she said. "Thank you," he replied. He looked the other way, and stared at the floor, then continued, "...and for what I've done...I don't even deserve your company at all...I can only hope...that you can forgive me...for anything that I HAVE done to hurt you..." He was finished. He kept looking down at the floor. Serena's looked very worried at Darien, her sad eyes shining in the light of the room. She moved over to Darien, and out her hand on his cheek. He looked over at her. "Darien," she said, reassuringly, "Queen Serenity asked you to fight Beryl's onslaught, and it was your duty to oblige. And the brainwashing? Nothing you did then was of your own free will. Beryl was pulling your strings. And the breakup? Darien, your mind was being manipulated by that weird dream you kept having. It lied and said it'd hurt me if you got close. But what does it matter, we got back together, didn't we? What's in the past? That's where it belongs. Forgive you, Darien?" She looked lovingly into Darien's dark blue eyes. "You don't even need to ask." With that, Serena reached over and kissed Darien on the lips. After several seconds, she pulled away, and Darien looked at her, a reassured look on his face. "Just tell me one thing, Meatball Head..." he said. "Anything," said Serena. "What did I ever do to make you fall in love with someone like me...who is so in love with you?" Serena giggled. "You were yourself," she answered. "That's what you've always been, and it's all you need to be." They reached for each other again, and kissed.  
*** Now, we change the scene again. Not to the other four Sailor Scouts, but to a dark place. One you've seen before, but know nothing of. The NegaRuins. Why do we come back to this dismal, lifeless place? Because it's not as lifeless as it seems. For among the excess energy, the fields of mist, and the countless pieces of rock debris, there remains one thing that doesn't look like it belongs. Something intact. Even more...something living. What exactly does that mean? Well let's see for ourselves, now shall we? Imagine all the rock debris, leftover energy and fields of mist simply floating around, but focus in on one single object. Miniscule in size compared to the rest of what's here, but still an important part of our story. Imagine the shape of the object. It's a crystal-like shape, approximately eight feet in height. The object is not completely transparent, but the contents can still be seen. Inside, something is held, kept from getting out. The crystal is almost...like an eternal prison of some sort. And the captive in forever tortured by the eternal sleep he rests in... But is it so eternal? Let us zoom in on the man locked within of the crystal prison. Let us examine his features. The expression on his face is that of terror. The last thing he must remember is the day he was trapped in this eternal prison. Aside from that, imagine a head of blonde hair and a 6' 1/2" tall body. Imagine his attire. A purple uniform, complemented with brown leather boots. Zoom in on the face once more. The captive is in an eternal sleep, so the eyes are closed. But look at the eyes, and you will see something disturbing. The eyes suddenly OPEN. Yes, you heard me right. They have opened, and see the surroundings beyond the crystal prison. But he's not interested in that. Right now, he has one thing on his mind. He has a chance to be free, and get his revenge against those who imprisoned him. Jedite was alive... ...And AWAKE.  
*** Serena was curled up next to Darien. They were both asleep in her apartment, lying on her leather recliner. They both were very comfortable, both in the chair, and in each other's arms. They had finished their romantic evening together, and since Darien had no place to sleep in his still-empty apartment, she invited him to spend the night at her place, where he could sleep on the couch, or on the recliner. What Serena hadn't counted on was her sleeping right next to him. Even so, she was happy right where she was. And while she slept, she dreamed. Serena ran down the street, in terror. Amy, Raye, Lita, and Mina were running next to her, escaping the same oncoming doom. As they ran, the city behind them was being completely demolished. Wherever they ran, there was a trail of destruction right behind them. She looked over her shoulder, at what she was running from. Up in the black sky, there was nothing more than a pair of evil-looking, glowing white eyes, staring down on her with hatred. Serena looked forward and kept running. She tried turning into Sailor Moon again, to try and stop the menace. But the locket, Crescent Wand, Moon Sceptor, and even the Imperium Silver Crystal itself had all been destroyed. There was nothing she could do but keep desperately running for her life. Suddenly, each other the other Sailors fell off their feet. Serena stopped in her tracks and turned to them. Amy was unconscious, Mina had taken a fatal blow to the spine from a flying piece of debris, Raye was struggling to get up, and Lita had been buried under a pile of rubble. Serena stared at them and screamed, "NNOOOOOOOOOOOO!" She ran over to Raye, and tried to help her up. Raye only wearily looked up at her. A trail of blood ran down from the left side of her forehead. "It...it's too late for me," said Raye. "Go on without me; I'll only slow you down. Save yourself..." "No, I can't," Serena returned, tears streaming down her face. "I won't leave you behind!" "You have to..." said Raye. She struggled to say more, but only gave out cries of pain. Then, her body went limp. Serena stared at Raye's body in disbelief, then threw her head back and screamed, "NO! RAYE, NO!" Suddenly, a crashing sound filled the air. Serena looked up, and saw streams of fire flying through the air, then come together and form something. When they materialized, Serena saw two gigantic, armored fists. They rose high into the air, then plunged into the ground. A massive shockwave ravaged across the ground. Serena threw up her arms for desperate protection, just as it engulfed her. Serena awoke, and shot up out of the recliner. She was huffing and puffing, as if she'd just run a few miles. Serena put her hand on her forehead, then examined the sweat that had rubbed off onto her palm. She looked around the room, and realized she was not running for her life, but still in her apartment, with Darien sleeping right next to her. At the sudden movement, Darien was awakened as well, and he sat up and saw Serena. He looked worried at her. "Serena?" he said. "What's wrong? You look as if you just saw a ghost!" Serena looked at him, then out through the window. She then buried her face in her hands. "I...just had...THE weirdest dream..." she said. "Well, are you all right?" he asked. "Yeah," she said, "I'm fine now...thanks." But the truth of the matter was, she wasn't fine. The vision she just had really disturbed her. She tried to go back to sleep, but she sat awake in the recliner all night long, with Darien alseep next to her. Around 7:00 A.M., she got up out of the recliner, trying as hard as she could not to disturb her sleeping boyfriend. She headed into the kitchen and made breakfast, meanwhile getting ready for work.  
*** A few days later, Serena, Raye, and Amy were at the mall, in the food court, getting lunch. Raye ordered a sandwich, Amy got a salad, whil Serena got a large slice of pizza from the pizzeria. This came as no surprise to either Amy or Raye. They talked about what they were doing lately, about old times, and about what they might do in the years ahead. "Greg and I don't really know what we'll do after we get married," said Amy. "We haven't really discussed anything of the kind lately." "I know the feeling," said Serena. "I always wonder what Darien and I are going to do with our lives." As they talked, Raye remained silent. She sat looking down at her plate, thinking about something. Serena finally noticed this, and turned to her, concerned. "Raye? What's wrong? You've been silent all day," she said. Raye looked up from her plate and looked at her. "Huh?" "I said, is anything wrong?" "Oh...uh...nothing, Serena, nothing at all..." she replied. "Don't give me that, Pyro!" Serena spouted. "I know you better than that! When you're like this, something IS wrong! Now what's bothering you?" Raye sighed and sank buried her face in her hands. She then looked at her two friends. "I had the scariest dream," she finally said, "and I've been thinking about it ever since. It has to be the weirdest thing I've ever experienced." "Really,?" asked Amy. "Why don't you tell us about it?" "It might make you feel better about it." Serena added. "Do I have to?" "If you tell us, Raye, we may be able to do something about it," Amy said. "Psychological studies have shown that dreams can be a door into the subconscious mind, and show what really on someone's mind. Of course, that depends on how much information one has. How much of the dream do you remember?" "Every second of it," said Raye. "It was one dream I couldn't possibly forget." "Well," said Serena. "What are you waiting for? Tell us about it!" Okay, okay. Here goes," she said. She sighed, and buried her face in her hands again. "It all started, with all five of the Inner Sailors were fighting...some THING. We tried everything we could, but nothing worked. All five of were forced to start running for our lives!" "Whoa," Serena commented. "Weird." "I'm not done yet," Raye continued. "So there we were, running for our lives, down this street, and right behind us, everything was being...destroyed. I looked behind me, and there were these two evil glowing eyes up in the sky, looking down on us as we ran!" Serena suddenly stared wide-eyed at her long-time friend. This was starting to sound very familiar. "And then," Raye said, "All of us except you, Serena, were knocked off our feet. Amy was knocked unconscious, Lita was buried under a pile of rubble, a flying rock hit Mina right in the spine..." Serena thought to herself, "And you had a broken leg, and a blow to the head!" "And I had a broken leg, and a rock hit me in the head. I was trying to get up, when you came over..." "I tried to help you up," Serena broke in, "but you told me to save myself. I said I wouldn't leave you behind, and then you died!" Amy and Raye stared wide-eyed at her. "Then," she continued, "these two giant armored hands smashed into the ground, and this huge shockwave engulfed all of us!" "That...that's right! How did you know that?" Serena got out of her chair, put both her palms down on the table, and stared right into Raye's eyes. "I had the exact same dream three nights ago! After my date with Darien, we slept over at my place. I had that dream that night!" "Three nights ago?" Raye said, as she shot out of her chair. "Three nights ago was when I had the dream! You couldn't have had it then! In fact, if I had it, you couldn't have had it all!" "I was about to say the same thing!" Serena returned. Amy stood up, and got in between the two of them. "This is very strange," she said. "The chances of you having the exact same dream on the exact same night are almost incalculable!" Amy reached into her pocket, and revealed her Mercury Computer. She typed some buttons on it, and gasped at the findings. "According to my computer, the chances are so slim, that the number goes past the two millionth digit...Unfortunately, this computer can't go any further!" Both Raye and Serena stared wide-eyed at the blue-haired girl. "That's...pretty big..." said Serena.  
  
*** Later that day, Serena and Darien were in the park talking about the dream "It just doesn't make sense!" said Serena. "Raye and I having the same dream on the same night? It...it's impossible!" "In this line of work, Serena, you should consider nothing to be impossible," Darien replied. "Sorcerers, future kingdoms, brainwashings, energy-sucking plants,...Even Greg had the power to see into the future. You know what I'm talking about." "Yeah, all too well." "I just wish you'd told me happened that night, instead of just saying you were fine." Darien continued. "If there's a problem, we should talk to each other. That's the mistake I made when I broke up with you. I thought you were smart enough not to do the same." Serena raises an eyebrow and gave Darien the look. "Guilt trip me, why don't you? I thought it was just some dumb nightmare. I had them all the time you were kidnapped by Queen Beryl. Ask Luna. I rolled on top of her numerous times! She'd scream about it for days!" Darien chuckled. He couldn't help but imagine that poor cat getting crushed under Serena's turning body. "Well, you had THOSE nightmares for a reason. Maybe the one you had the other night was just another dumb nightmare, but it's got to mean something if Raye dreamt the same thing on the same night you did!" "I suppose you're right," said Serena. "But I don't think I even want to know what it means, should it mean anything!" Darien grabbed her arm and stopped her. "What do you mean?" "You heard my description of the dream, and Raye's too!" she answered. "If was bad enough that even I remember every single detail, and that it was THAT gruesome...Darien, it scares me to even think about what it means!" "I might be nothing at all..." he began. "And what if it isn't!?!" Serena broke in, suddenly sounding very serious. "What if something evil comes and destroys us all? What if we're doomed before our future in Crystal Tokyo can even start? What if...what if..." Serena slammed her hands down in frustration. She turned her back to Darien. He watched her, worried about her. He could hear Serena start to cry. He was used to hearing her cry, but this wasn't just any of Serena's old crybaby cries. He could tell that the situation was starting to form was really scaring her. Darien walked up to her, and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Serena," Darien said, trying to sound as comforting as he could, "What could possibly happen now? All the evil we've faced, we've neutralized. Queen Beryl, Alan and Ann, Rubeus...the Four Sisters all turned to the good side; heck, they opened their own cosmetics store right here in Tokyo! And, if something is coming, who cares? We've faced things like this before. And if something is going to happen, you, me, and the other Sailors will face it...together. If something dangerous is coming...I promise...I won't let a thing happen to you." Serena turned and smiled sweetly at his words. She began to reach up to kiss him, when suddenly, a roll of thunder was heard overheard, as gray storm clouds started forming in the sky above. At the sound of the thunder, Serena let out a short scream, then ran into Darien's arms, and held him tightly. Darien was startled at first, but calmed down and put his arms around her. "You see?" he said. "No thunderstorm on Earth could keep me from keeping you safe." Serena looked up at him, then buried her face from the thundering sounds. Darien reached down and kissed her head. Serena looked behind her, up at the sky. "I didn't even notice the sky getting gray," she said. "Neither did I," replied Darien. "Come on, let's get out of here." The two of them walked the other way, with Serena holding herself close to her boyfriend, with Darien's arm around her as well. "I still can't help but think...something's happening...that we don't know about," Serena commented. "Y'know," replied Darien, "it's weird...but I kind of feel the same way..."  
  
*** "Ah...now I remember," thought Jedite. "This is all Sailor Moon's fault..."  
  
He floated through the NegaRuins, locked in a crystal chamber. He could only see so far on either side of his body, since the only parts of his body he could move were his eyes. But he could tell where he was, even though it was NOT the NegaVerse he'd once known. "How long has it been?" he thought. "How many long years has it been since Beryl encased me in this prison of Eternal Sleep? It hasn't been that long, has it? This looks nothing like the NegaVerse..." He continued floating through space, watching the mists, debris, and fields of energy. "It has to have been a long time," he thought. "Nothing like this can be done so quickly...even the Moon Kingdom took a while to destroy...but even THAT looks better than THIS!" Jedite kept looking around the Ruins. "But...how can I even be alive...or awake!?! The Eternal Sleep must not live up to its name...which not only means that one cannot sleep forever...but one can ESCAPE it! Yes! I can get out of this cursed crystal prison!" He thought of the idea over and over and over in his head. "But the only problem with that theory is HOW to escape it. It's not as easy as it sounds. On the contrary, it almost seems impossible!...Ah, but that was my first mistake...I thought it was impossible those damn Sailor Scouts could defeat me...but things were not as they seemed. Well, now...let's just see what I can do here..." He looked all around, looking for something that he could use. And he grinned at what he found. He watched as two gigantic pieces of rock smashed together. The impact sent a large boulder hurtling right in his direction! "This looks promising..." Jedite thought. "But if I just let it fly, it'll go straight past me! I...have to move...this blasted...crystal prison...ARRRRGH!!" Jedite pushed within his cell with all the strength he could produce, and moved the crystal chamber to the right. It wasn't far enough, so he pushed more...and more...and more! "Yes!" he thought. "I'm doing it! Just...a little...further...AAARRRRGH!" He pushed just a little further. Now, he was directly in the path of the hurtling boulder! As it flew towards him, Jedite grinned wider and wider. Suddenly, as the boulder was getting even closer, he realized just how large it was, and the smile disappeared from his face. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea..." It hit with powerful force. The crystal chamber was sent flying backwards through space, Jedite screaming. He flew backwards and twirled around, no longer in any control of where he was going, with the giant boulder right behind him. "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Jedite screamed. Little did he know, however, that coming up from behind him was another boulder, almost the exact same size as the other one, simply floating in place. Finally, the three objects collided. Jedite's crystal cell was caught in between the two boulders! The crystal was smashed to pieces, flying all throughout the surrounding space. But strangely, Jedite was no longer to be seen. The flying boulder had been smashed to pieces, along with the crystal cell, but in the other rock, there was no a large hole...large enough for someone Jedite's size to fit into. Suddenly, from out of the rock, something else smashed through. With incredible force, the rock was burst to pieces, and Jedite flew out of it, and flew through the surrounding space like an airplane. He finally landed on a large floating rock, and stood victorious over the NegaRuins. "FREEEEE!" he cried at the top of his lungs. "I'M FREE! FREE AT LAST! NO MORE ETERNAL SLEEP! I'M FREEEEEEE!" He looked out upon the ruins, and smiled. "And now that I'm free...I can do what I've been destined to do for all the long years I have slept...get my revenge on the Sailor Scouts...and rule over the realm of Earth for all eternity!" Jedite began to chuckle, which slowly grew louder...and louder! Soon, he broke out into a long, manical laugh, that echoed throughout the entire ruins of the NegaVerse, and could almost be heard all the way from Tokyo... 


	4. Chapter 3

Reunions  
  
Chapter 3  
  
"Return to Earth Realm"  
  
Jedite roamed around his surroundings, looking for anything that could be useful to him. But all he founds were large rocks and clouds of mist. "Much has most certainly happened since I've...been away," he said to himself. "It would seem everything is in ruins here...nothing that I remember must even exists anymore...which means Queen beryl must be dead...along with Nephlite, Zoycite, and that idiot Malachite!...How convenient for me!" He continued searching the ruins, but still found nothing but clouds, rocks, and complete darkness. "Nothing...nothing at all! What can possibly do me any good in this desolate place!?!" Suddenly, his leg brushed up against something that sizzled with gray electricity. Jedite looked down at it in surprise. "What the--?" He knelt down on the floating rock to get a closer look at it. It looked like only another cloud of mist, but as Jedite ran his hands back and forth through it, more gray electric sparks flowed. He finally realized what it was. "Hmm...how very interesting..." he thought. "Excess human energy!...Must have been left behind when Beryl was destroyed by Sailor Moon...wait a minute! How did I know that SAILOR MOON destroyed Queen Beryl!?!" As he ran his hand through the cloud, an image of Princess Serena battling Queen Beryl ran through his head. At first, Jedite couldn't figure out why this happened. "Very interesting..." he said. "It must be from when Beryl ruled the NegaVerse...and it must contain memories from the past...things I was not around to witness...Which gives me an idea..." Jedite held his hands within the heart of the energy cloud. His hands glowed white for a moment, and then the energy itself was absorbed into his body. Jedite threw his head back and exhaled deeply, feeling a little stronger from this energy boost. "AH...I needed that...now let's see..." He concentrated as hard as he could. Instantly, various images of his successing generals, Nephlite, Zoycite, and Malachite, ran through his head, as he learned about their outcomes. "Intriguing...Nephlite fell in love with a human...Zoycite was killed by Queen Beryl for trying to kill Tuxedo Mask...and Malachite was destroyed by Sailor Moon..." he thought, "...I was right...this energy patch contains memories from the time Queen Beryl ruled the NegaVerse! And now that I've absorbed it, I can know everything that happened up until then...and there's more, simply within this one cloud..." Jedite concentrated harder. Now images of other Sailor Scouts flowed through his mind. Two of whom he already knew; Sailors Mercury and Mars. But there were two others he didn't recognize. But from the information within the energy cloud, he found out who they were. "So...they found all five Inner Sailors..." Jedite thought. "Jupiter and Venus!! So...that little teenage pest Sailor V that gave me so much trouble before 'Moon Girl' is a Scout too, eh? This information will come in handy!" Jedite got up and looked around. He turned his head left and right, and saw something that pleased him very much. Countless clouds of energy, varying in size, scattered throughout the entire NegaRuins. Some were miniscule, others were gigantic. Either way...Jedite found something VERY useful. "I think I've found what I'm looking for..." he thought, as a wide, maniacal grin crossed his face.  
*** Serena slammed the door behind her as she walked into her apartment. It had been a VERY long, VERY hard work day. As she plumped down to the floor, she huffed and puffed as if she'd just run a marathon. She leaned up against the door and caught her breath. She was so tired that she didn't even notice the tall person standing in her living room, in front of the fake bookcase. "What's with you, Meatball Head?" he said. "You look like you've just swam the English Channel...twice!" Serena looked up and saw Darien. She smiled and got up off the floor. "If you can compare the day I've had to doing that, than I guess you could say I did!" she replied. She walked over to him and they hugged each other. Darien pushed her back a little. "It couldn't have been that bad, could it?" he asked. "You had to have been there," she said. "Four of my employees quit for the day right in the middle of a mid-day customer rush! You'd think there was a worldwide food shortage or something! Those guys are lucky I didn't send them flying all the way down to the unemployment office for doing that to me!" "Well did you?" "No, I'm just going to bawl them out tomorrow!" She giggled. She looked past him, and saw the hidden glass case, displaying the Transformation Locket, the Crescent Moon Wand, the Moon Sceptor, and the Imperium Silver Crystal, open for all to see. "I see you found my hidden display," she said. "Actually, on accident," Darien said. "Luna ran under my feet and tripped me. It stumbled into the book case, and the display opened up." He let go of Serena and turned to the display again. "So I've just been looking at these old relics for a while...remembering all we've been through..." Serena put her arms around him and looked at the display with him. She sighed deeply. "Kind of makes you wish for the good old days. when I first became Sailor Moon, doesn't it?" she asked. "Hmph!" was Darien's reply. "When Jedite kept sending all those monsters to suck humans clean dry of their energy? When you kept getting beaten around by some intergalactic mutant?...When I wasn't in love with you?...I don't think so!" Serena looked up at him and smiled. She loved it when he talked like this, just to let her know just how much he loved her. She reached up and kissed him lightly on the lips, then they both looked back at the display. "Where's Amy?" Serena asked. "Out with Lita and Mina," Darien answered. "Raye would be with them, except she and Chad had some things to take care of at the temple." "Go figure..." said Serena. "What about the cats?" "Right behind you!" a familiar voice said. Serena turned her head, and two cats were sitting behind them. One of them, Luna, the other, a white cat with the same crescent moon shape on the forehead.  
"Artemis!" Serena cried. Darien turned his head and smiled at the  
sight of the white cat. Neither he nor Serena had seen him, even after  
he and Mina got into town. Serena bent down on the floor, and Artemis ran up and jumped into her arms. Serena hugged him tightly, Artemis purring with satisfaction. He jumped down and stood next to Luna. "How're you doing, Artie?" asked Darien. "Pretty well," he replied. "Life is pretty hectic when you live with a star like Mina. You wouldn't believe how much traveling we have to do together. We've probably been all over France several times! Germany too!" "Still the same old jokester, eh, Artemis?" said Serena with a smile. "Same as always, just the way he should be," answered Luna, as she rubbed her head affectionately against his white fur. Artemis blushed. "So I'm dying to know," said Serena, "How did Mina EVER find the time to fly over to Tokyo just to visit us?" Artemis smiled, because he knew what she was getting at. Mina WAS very busy when she was working, and it was very rare for her to get any free time for 30 seconds, let alone 30 days! "I asked her the same thing," he finally answered. "All I can say, if something's important to you, then you MAKE the time!" "Well said," Luna commented. "And it shouldn't be that surprising either," Artemis continued. "All of the Inner Scouts took time out of their busy schedules to come here, just to see you! Even Darien did what he had to do to get here!" "Oh come on, Artemis," said Darien. "Even Serena is smart enough to know THAT!" Serena suddenly sneered at him. "And what exactly is THAT supposed to mean!?!" Darien laughed nervously. Artemis simply shook his head in disgust, then turned to the black cat sitting next to him. "Some things never change..." he said. Luna nodded. "Anyway..." Luna interrupted, "Artemis and I are about to out for a little stroll. Either of you want to come?" "I would, Luna," said Serena, getting up from the floor, "but I've had a long day. I just need to lay down in bed for a while, then I need to go grocery shopping. I've been running on empty here since I had the others over for dinner that one night." "Doesn't the market supply you with what you need?" asked Darien. "They would," Serena answered, narrowing her eyes angrily at the thought, "except they have this ridiculous policy about not letting employees shop there!" "Sorry to hear that," said Artemis. "What about you, Darien?" "I'd like to, I seriouly would," he answered, "but some stuff I sent over here from New York is arriving today, and I need to be there to pick it up. So I have to leave soon too." "Too bad," said Luna. "Well, we're off. See you two love birds later!" "Takes two to know two!" Serena said with a wink. The cats groaned and walked out the open door. Darien, meanwhile, wrapped her arms around Serena, who glanced back at him. "I need to get out of here too," he said. He then reached into his jacket, and pulled out a red rose, and held it before Serena. She took it from him, then he continued, "I'll see you later, Meatball Head." He reached down and kissed her lightly on the lips, then let go of her and walked out the door. Serena watched as he left. She closed her eyes and inhaled the rose's sweet aroma. She then jumped into the air and squealed with joy. "Oh, GOD I love that man!" she cried.  
*** "Ah...I love this time of year," said Mina. "You always say that," replied Lita. "Well, it's true," she continued. "I love summer. I love everything about it. The color of the trees, the people walking about, the golden sun shining down on everything...it's just so great to be a part of!" "I agree," said Amy. "Summer is the best time of year to be out and about. We all picked the perfect time to come back to Tokyo!" "I was lucky to be able to come back now," said Mina. "It's hard enough for me to get ANY time off of work, but I still manage to get around." "You can say that again," said Lita. "Things can get pretty hectic over at the restaurant. People shouting orders, finding good chefs, getting supplies all the time so I never run out, plus I've got this international proposal thing to deal with. It's a little too much of a rush, even for me." "Now there's a stretch!" Mina exclaimed. Lita gave her a look. Amy shook her head in disgust. "Can you two ever NOT insult each other?" she asked. "There was a period of about two years, it was wonderful..." Lita said, "...then, unfortunately, we saw each other again!" "I guess that answers my question," Amy thought to herself. She glanced at her watch. "It's getting late, you guys. We should at least call Serena and tell her where we are." "Not problem," said Mina, as she whipped out a cell phone, and dialed up Serena's number. Lita and Amy waited for her, while they continued their conversation. "Of course," Lita continued, "the good thing about it is, if the whole deal pulls through, with restaurants all over the world, I could move back to Tokyo like I've always wanted! I mean, with worldwide locations, they've GOT to put one here, don't they?" "I know what you mean," Amy replied. "Sometimes, Greg and I talk about after we're married, we could work up the money to start our own practice here in Tokyo. Of course, number one, we've been engaged for over a year now, and the possibility of our actually tying the knot are slightly dimming, and, number two, it takes a lot more than two doctor's salaries to start your own business; even a small one!" Lita gave an "Mm-hmm" of approval, having fully known the expenses of running your own business. She WAS, after all, the owner of her own establishment in the middle of New Orleans. They would have gone further with their talking, when suddenly a beeping sound caught their attention. "I know that sound anywhere!" said Lita. "That's your pocket computer, isn't it?" Amy reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a blue rectangular object, her Mercury computer. The beeping got louder, indicating it was the source of the sound. "It sure is," she said. "It must be picking something up." "But what?" Amy opened up the computer and started pressing buttons. What appeared on the screen surprised her. "It's reading some kind of strange energy source, but it can't pinpoint it, let alone say what it is." Amy closed the computer and put in back in her pocket. "Must have just been a solar flare," she said. Lita shrugged, knowing nothing of the subject. Meanwhile, Mina got off her phone and turned to her friends. "I got her answering machine," she said. "She must be out with Darien or something. What's with you guys?" "Amy's computer picked up something weird," answered Lita. "It was probably nothing at all," said Amy. "What could it possibly scan NOW that could be of any danger?" "I guess so," Lita answered. "C'mon, let's just go." Lita and Mina turned and started walking in the other direction. Amy started to follow them, but she stopped and turned around again. She tapped on the side of her blue earing, and her transparent blue scanning visor covered her eyes. She scanned all around the area, and finally picked something up that made her stare wide-eyed into space. For a moment...just a MOMENT...she could make out an energy source, six and a half feet tall, in the shape of a man. It quickly dissolved from her vision, but she could barely make out a face before it did. It was an all too familar face, one she hoped she'd never have to see again. She then shook her head and regained her senses. She retracted her visor and said to herself, "I've been working way too hard." She ran and caught up with Mina and Lita.  
*** "So much energy..." said Jedite, "...and so much to do with it!" He surveyed the area he was in, examining the countless clouds of energy scattered throughout the NegaRuins. "But what to do with it FIRST..." he said. "None of it can got to waste. I must use ALL of it!" His face then lit up, as he was just hit by inspiration. "Aha!" he exclaimed. "I've got it!" Jedite outstretched his body, and his eyes began to glow a strange white color. He strained his body to do something...but anyone who was watching could only guess WHAT. Suddenly, it was heard all throughout the eerie blackness of the ruins...a soft, low rumbling sound. Jedite kept struggling, as his arms and legs started vibrating violently. Whatever he was trying to do, he was doing it with all his might. Then it grew louder. The rumbling sound increased, and suddenly, everything in the blackness of the ruins began shaking. As the sound of the rumbling continued growing louder and louder, the shaking of the NegaRuins continued getting more and more violent. Jedite shut his eyes as he stuggled more and more to do what he was trying to do. Then, finally, it happened. All the countless clouds of energy, lost by former rulers of the domain, starting moving inward...toward a definite source in the middle of the ruins. That source was Jedite. The clouds suddenly starting spinning around and around, swirling in thin, tornado-like streams, flowing closer and closer to Jedite's vibrating body. He yelled out into the blackness as he continued forcing his body to its maximum in this desperate attempt. Then, all of the massive energy streams started flowing INTO Jedite's body! He screamed in pain as his body was being pumped full of the thick clouds that he had drawn to himself like metal to a magnet. As the energy was absorbed into his body, Jedite glowed like a light bulb. He continued screaming as he was energized. Finally, after a full five minutes of absorbing the massive clouds of energy that were once scattered throughout the NegaRuins, all of it was now in one man's body, flowing through one man's bloodstream and nervous system. However, after the absorbtion, though Jedite had stopped screaming, his body was still vibrating violently, as if something was going on inside. Suddenly, a sound reminiscent of something ripping filled the air, and Jedite grew...his height increased by a full 12 inches, and his physique was improved. His shoulders and hips grew outward, the muscles in his arms, legs, and torso looked as if they had been given a large dose of steroids. And surprisingly, his uniform, from the purple shirt to the brown boots, all grew to fit his new stature and physical form. But that wasn't the end of it. The costume itself started changing as well. His belt grew a silver plating, complemented by a silver beltbuckle. On his boots, a pair of silver shinguards appeared, completely encasing the front of his lower legs. On his forearms, a pair of silver armored gloves materialized. On his shoulders, two silver shoulder pads appeared as well, and a black cape sprouted out from behind his back. As the transformation completed. Jedite relaxed his body, and opened his eyes, only to have them suddenly glow brightly, and turn a blank white. "Wow," he said, in a slightly deeper voice. "What a rush..." He opened his hands, and stared at them. They now glowed with a strange, white electrical charge. "I feel..." he said, "...I feel...Oh, words just don't describe it! I feel...like a god!" He then looked at the strange new armor on his hands, then stared down at the rest of his new costume. He grabbed the side of the cape and whirled around, and continued admiring himself. "What...what's happened to me?" he asked himself. "I don't remember my shoes being this far from my eyesight...have I grown? And what's all this new armor? I need to see myself in full..." He turned his head, to a six-foot-tall boulder, floating in space. Jedite raised his glowing right hand in its direction, and shot a white beam of energy from his fingertips. The beam made contact with the boulder, and after a gigantic burst of light, the boulder was no longer a boulder for Jedite had magically turned it into a long, mirrored glass. Jedite flew in front of the mirror, and examined himself and his new attire closely. "This is certainly a change," he said. "I look better than ever!" He whirled around and saw his backside, then whirled around again to see his front. "Something has definitely affected my body structure from absorbing all that energy," he said. "I've not only grown a full foot, and gained some interesting additions to my uniform...but I feel stronger and more powerful than ever!" A grin crossed his evil face. He pointed his hand at the mirror again, and shot another white beam of energy. The mirror flashed, and in the place of Jedite's reflection, there now was a life-size picture of Sailor Moon, moon tiara discus in hand. Jedite floated to a distance of six inches from the picture, and curled back his fist, as if ready to strike. "Get ready, Moon girl," he said menacingly, "It's gonna be a hot time in the old town tonight!" With that, the new, more powerful Jedite threw his armored fist forward, and smashing the face of the picture of Sailor Moon to pieces. He then turned and started floating away. He waved his hand through the air in front of him, and instantly, a bright white light flashed, illuminatin the entire area. The light quickly dimmed, but as it did, what looked like a swirling, gray portal opened wide. Jedite began walking in through it, but stopped halfway and hesitated. He whirled around, threw his hand forward, and blasted a beam of white light at the Sailor Moon picture, smashing the rest of it to smithereens. Another grin crossed Jedite's face, as he turned and walked through the portal to Earth...  
*** Serena looked out upon the lake, thinking back upon the many times she and Darien had sailed alone together on those waters; all the romantic moments they had; all the times they'd been together at all. She loved looking back on these things, and she knew Darien did too, even though he wouldn't admit that. As she looked at the setting sun over the lake, she didn't notice a man walking up behind her. The man raised his hand, revealing something red in his fingertips. He then threw it forward, over Serena's head, sticking it in the ground in front of her. Serena, casually looked down, and saw a rose in front of her. She then looked behind her, at the tall, black-haired man with the dark blue eyes standing behind her. "You always like making that entrance, don't you?" she asked him. "Of course," said Darien. "It was how we met, isn't it?" "Actually," she corrected, "we first met when I hit you in the head with a failed test paper that I threw out." "True," he said. He then stuck out his hand to help her up. Serena took it and got to her feet, then reached up and kissed Darien lightly on the lips. He put her arms around her, and she did the same. "I love being here," she said. "It brings back so many happy memories." "I'll admit, it feels good to remember all the times we've been here as a couple." Serena turned her head and looked at the lake again, and saw a couple in boat, rowing their way across it. She then turned back to her boyfriend and put her head on his chest. "It's almost 7:30," said Darien. "Wanna get some dinner? I heard a new restaurant just opened across town." "As long as it's with you." she answered. "How sweet," he said. "Come on. My motorcycle's over this way." "Your motorcycle?" Serena asked, looking up at his face. "Your Harley Davidson? The one you bought when you visited Milwaukee? How'd you bring it here?" "It was one of the things I had shipped over here the other day." he said. "Y'know, the day we saw Artemis?" "Oh, yeah," she said. "But I didn't know the Harley was one of them." Darien smiled and returned, "Like I'd go anywhere without it." "Well, I'd love to see it," she commented. "I've only heard about through your letters and phone calls." "Well, come this way, my dear," he said, "and see it for yourself." They walked together, hand in hand, across the street to where Darien's motorcycle was. Serena saw it for the first time, and gasped with delight at the sight of it. The side plates and wheel covers where painted with a blue color, with stars and a crescent moon painted under the seat. Right next to that, in silver-plated letters, was the motorcycle's given name: MOON PRINCESS. "Oh, Darien, it's beautiful!" she exclaimed. "I named it after you," he said. "If I couldn't have you personally by my side, I at least wanted a Moon Princess of SOME sort. And while it's nowhere near as wonderful as being with YOU, it tides me over until I actually do visit Tokyo. Do you like it?" "Like it? I love it!" "Glad you approve," he said, and he walked behind her and suddenly flashed something in front of her. She saw what he was holding and gasped again. It was a bike helmet, in her size, painted like a fading twilight sky, with a crescent moon painted on each side. On the lower half of the left side, there were silver letters spelling out "SERENA". "For you," he said. "It's the law to wear one of these, y'know." "Wow!" she said. "This is...this is just too cool!" "It was hard to find your size, with your not being there when I had it customized, but I think I got it just right." Serena put the helmet over her blonde-haired head, and fastened it tightly. She then took it off and stared at Darien with a smile on her face. "A perfect fit," she said. She then put her arms around him and kissed him lovingly on the lips. Darien put his arms around her, then swung her around and swung her backwards, returning the kiss. He then set her back onto her feet, and they pulled away from each other. "I take it you like it?" he asked. "Oh, I like, I like!" The two of them then headed for the motorcyle. Serena hopped on behind her boyfriend, and put on her new helmet. Darien then reached behind his seat, and pulled out his helmet; painted black, with a red rose painted on either side. Darien started the motorcycle, and they zoomed down the street, towards the opposite side of town, Serena screaming with delight and arms tightly wrapped around him.  
*** The portal opened in the middle of an empty construction site. From its wide, black center, out Jedite stepped, fully dressed in his new, "updated" uniform, from his black cape to the silver shinguards on his brown leather boots. He stared out at his surroundings with his hollow white eyes. This construction site was a place he'd been before, that he knew, but to him, there was something different about everything else. "Things have certainly changed," Jedite thought, eyeing several distant skyscrapers that he knew weren't there before. "I've only been on Earth for several seconds, and that's obvious..." With a wave of his armored hand, Jedite magically closed the portal behind him. He then floated upward towards the distant skyline. He made his way between the buildings like the Dark Angel of Death itself, ready to strike on any innocent victim it chose. But that wasn't Jedite's plan, at least not for now. Right now, he simply floated high above the streets of Tokyo, eyeing the tall buildings he was between, and the ant-like pedestrians miles below his feet. Finally, he flew upwards even more, before he finally landed on the very, VERY top of the Tower of Tokyo. There, he "perched" like an evil bird of prey, looking down and around on the rest of the city miles below. "Things HAVE changed..." Jedite said. "I remember this tower being tall, but it has to have been built more since I saw it last." He contined looking downward, noticing buildings, billboards, radio towers, even an entire airport that he knew he'd never seen before. "It has to have been at LEAST ten years since my imprisonment," he said. "So many new sights...which must mean more people..." He grinned mischievously. "...which means more life energy for me to drain from them!"  
  
He looked to the east of the massive tower, and he saw a lighted billboard, that said, in lights, "COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS 2003" and then, spelled in more lights, the exact number of years, months, days, hours, and minutes it would be to the exact moment when it would be Christmas. Jedite's eyes widened as he made the calculation in his head of what year it was now. "It HAS been ten years!!!" he thought. "That would explain the changes I've seen here..." He stood up straight on the top of the tower, then acrobatically leaped off it, in spread-eagle position. He plummeted to the ground below, and flipped through the air, the cold night air zooming past him. Finally, he landed noiselessly on his feet in a dark alley, where no one was to be seen. No one would be able to see him in the darkness. He walked out of the alley, but anyone who saw him then would think he was just a normal man walking around at night. He was no longer in his uniform; he magically changed his clothes while in the alley. He now wore a brown business suit, black dress shirt, and black sunglasses to hide his hollow eyes. He slightly removed them, and his eyes glowed white. "Sailor Moon is still here," he thought, smiling. "I can feel it in my blood. The energies I've absorbed are telling me so..." He walked out onto the sidewalk, and down the street. "I'll search for her now," he thought. "I know I WILL find her...it's only a matter of time until I do." He made his way through the people walking past and beside him, wondering in his head if he even knew who he was looking for. "I'm not sure I know what I'm doing," he finally admitted to himself. "It's been so long, and my memories have a few holes in them. I'm not sure I remember what Sailor Moon looks like behind her tiara. This is will not be easy..." He grinned. "...but it will DEFINITELY be worth it!!!" He made several shortcuts through the city, using interspace portals he would would open and close in empty alleyways. He would then emerge in another part of the city, and continue his search. "This is getting tiresome," Jedite though impatiently. "I've been searching for over an hour, and found nothing." Just then, he stopped in his tracks, as something inside him told him to do so. His eyes glowed as well, brightly enough that it could be seen even through the black sunglasses he wore. "She's close..." he thought. "...VERY close..." As he thought this, he whirled around at the sound of voices behind him. Two of them, one male, the other female. But he could swear they BOTH sounded VERY familiar. Jedite didn't want to take the chance to be seen. He looked to his left, and saw a conveniently placed dark alley. He jumped into it and concealed himself, just as two people turned the corner. From the darkness, Jedite watched closely with his hollow, glowing eyes. Two people then walked by the opening to the alley. One, a male, about a foot shorter than Jedite was, with dark black hair, and wearing a green jacket and black shirt. The other, a female, a foot shorter than he was, with bright yellow blonde hair, styled in the most interesting of fashions: two "spheres" of hair, one on either side of her head, with a long yellow ponytail coming down from each one. She was holding the man's arm, and he had his arm around her. They were obviously a couple, but that wasn't what Jedite was concerned with. "They both look familiar..." thought Jedite. "But the girl...I know I've seen her before before..." As the couple walked by the alley, Jedite imagined the girl in different attire; a shrunken school girl uniform, white gloves, red boots, a short blue skirt, and a golden tiara on her forhead, with a pink jewel in the center. Jedite grinned. "Oh, it's her all right!" he thought, eyes glowing even brighter. Jedite walked out of the alley, now dressed in his purple uniform, and watched as the girl and her boyfriend walked down the street, not even noticing him behind them. Jedite then jumped into the air, and disappeared among the darkness of the night sky above.  
*** After dinner, Serena and Darien decided to walk around before heading back to the lot where they had parked the motorcycle. "It feels good to walk down this street again," said Darien. "It's been so long since I was in Tokyo last; I hardly remember how to make my way through it." "I've walked down this street a zillion times before," said Serena. "I can't say it feels good, but it doesn't feel bad. Right now, it feels good only because you're here with me..." She held him tighter. Darien smiled, and put his arm around her. "Likewise," said he, "it just isn't as much fun without you." He reached down and kissed her on the forehead. Serena blushed and giggled.  
  
"Do you have to be so public about it?" she asked. "What's so public about this?" Darien replied. "There's no one around. And even if there were, I still would be as public about it as I always have. I'm not scared to show that I'm in love with you." Serena blushed again. She never knew Darien to be like this, but she liked it. They turned a corner, and walked down another section of the street, past a dark alley, and further along the block. About a minute after they passed the alley, Serena suddenly looked up, a surprised look on her face. She turned her head backwards, in the direction of the entrance to the alley. Strangely, there was nothing there at all. Darien turned to Serena. "Something wrong?" he asked. "I..." she said, "...y'know, I'm not really sure. For a second, I could have sworn...we were being watched." "Watched?" Darien asked. He looked to the left, to the right, to the front and back, even above and below them. "There's no one around as far as I can see," he said. "I don't THINK there's anyone watching us." "Never mind," she said. "Just my imagination, I guess." They both smiled at each other, and continued their walk. As they passed another dark alley along the sidewalk, they were suddenly knocked off their feet as something emerged from the alley and rammed right into them, sending them both crashing to the floor. They landed on each other, and looked up at the back of the man who bumped into them. "HEY!" Darien cried. "Watch it, buddy!" "Yeah!" Serena added. "Why don't you watch where you're going!?!" It was then that they realized the man was wearing a long, black cape, on top of a purple uniform. From the side of the man's body, hidden by the cape, a purple-clothed arm came out, the hand of which, covered in a metal armored glove, balled into a fist. Serena gasped as she saw the armored fist, because it was EXACTLY like the one she'd seen before! "Oh, I'm so very sorry..." the man said sarcastically, in a sinisterly familiar voice. The man then slowly turned around, revealing the side of his blonde-haired face. The face turned around completely, and looked directly at Serena. She gasped again when she saw the man's face, from the blonde hair, to the blank eyes, to the wide, maniacal smile on his lips. "...SAILOR MOON!" the man finished, as he started laughing evilly. Serena's eyes and mouth opened even wider, as did Darien's, for he knew who this man was too. The man's laughter grew louder and more maniacal, as he turned and walked away from the terrified couple. As he walked away his body suddenly started glowing white, then disappeared in a burst of flame. Serena and Darien were left behind, only to wonder what they had just seen.  
  
*** "I'm telling you, Raye, it was HIM!" "Are you sure?" "Yes!" "Are you positive?" "Yes!" "Are you..." "Oh, for the last time, Raye, YES!!!" Serena shouted. "Serena," the raven-haired woman said, "it's...it's just impossible! He's gone, dead, defeated, for the last TEN YEARS!!!" "We may have defeated him, Raye, but that doesn't mean he died!" Serena replied. "And I know he didn't because I SAW him! Both me and Darien saw him!" "Serena, if you're kidding me here..." Raye began. "Oh, please, Raye!" Serena snapped. "In all the ten years we've been friends, have you ever ONCE known me to so much as JOKE about something like this!?! Now I am serious here! It was HIM!" "Serena,..." "And that's not the worst of it!" "What do you mean?" Raye asked, casually pouring hot tea into her cup. "Remember in the dream we both had?" Serena asked. "At the end of it, after you died, when those two giant armored gloves made that shockwave?" Raye frowned. "How could I forget?" "He was wearing them, Raye! Jedite was wearing those gloves when we saw him!" Raye gasped and dropped both the teakettle and the cup. They hit the ground, sending brown-clear liquid spreading all over the white tile. Raye whirled around and faced her blonde friend. "Please tell me you're joking!" Raye begged. "PLEASE tell me your not serious!" Serena simply looked at her with a straight face, arms crossed. "Do I LOOK like I'm joking?" she asked. "But..." Raye tried to speak, but couldn't get the words out. Finally, she did manage to get out, "But...why come to me about this?" "Because we both had the same dream about it, Raye," Serena answered. "About the wave of destruction, about everyone dying except me, and those two giant hands...the same ones I saw Jedite wearing!" She then solemnly looked away from her raven-haired friend. "I don't know exactly how to say this, but..." "But what?" Raye asked anxiously. "But..." Serena finally said, "...I think it was a vision...of the future."  
  
Raye's eyes widened as Serena spoke these words. She never knew Serena to have premonitions of the future, not like Raye did. And it was rather frightening to hear her start. "You mean..." Raye started. "I got a good look at him when he rammed into us today, Raye," Serena said. "He had all this new armor, this long cape around his neck, and I could have sworn he grew another foot or so. It's bad enough he's still alive at all...but from what we both saw in that dream...I'd say that's the least of our problems." "What are you talking about?" "When I saw him, Raye, I...I could feel...power. Unimaginable formidability beyond which I KNOW I've ever seen." Serena explained. "He's not only back, but he's powerful...and not just because he's awake up and pretty angry! I mean, he's become even MORE powerful than he was before! If you had been there, Raye, and been able to see into his eyes, you'd feel the exact same thing I did!" Raye shuddered. She could tell Serena was being serious about the matter, and she was afraid to think about what if she was RIGHT. Jedite was always a powerful enemy, as were all of Queen Beryl's general's. But if he was bigger and more powerful than before, she could tell...they were in a lot of trouble. "I know you probably don't think I'm being serious about this, Raye, but..." Serena started. Raye grabbed her by the arm, and dragged her out of the room, stopping her in the middle of her sentence. "On the contrary, old friend," said Raye, pulling Serena down the hall with her. "I don't think you could possibly be MORE serious about this..."  
*** Raye dragged Serena into the fire room, where she promptly kelt down in front of the rising flames. While Serena watched, Raye closed her eyes and put her hands in prayer position. "Great spirits of the burning fire," Raye chanted, "show us...show me...the evil we must face...show us the form of our enemy..." Serena watched in awe as the flames of the fire looked as if they were getting brighter, then dying back down, as Raye continued chanting. Suddenly, in a burst of light, the flames spewed out of the fire, right at Raye, who opened her eyes and jumped backwards just in time to avoid the fire shooting at her! She landed on her back several feet from Serena, who gave a short scream and ran to her friend's side. "I'm okay," Raye said, a little short of breath. The two then looked at the burning fire, and gasped at what they saw. From out of the fire, now burning at a height of about ten feet, a tall, black form walked out, laughing a maniacal chuckle. The form's blonde hair and black cape flowed behind him from the force of the flames, unaffected by their scorching. Finally, the form completely revealed himself and he walked out of the fire and faced the twosome. Everything, from his purple uniform, to the silver shoulder pads, to the brown leather boots could clearly be seen. His white, hollow eyes stared down evilly at Raye and Serena. Raye narrowed her eyes on the evil form, while Serena stared wide-eyed and open-mouthed. "Jedite..." Raye whispered. "How wonderful to see you again, Sailor Mars!" Jedite replied. "You're looking rather lovely, even after TEN YEARS!" "What do you want?" Serena demanded. Jedite replied with another maniacal laugh. "You'll find out soon enough, Sailor Moon!" he said. "Until then, you can tell all your fellow Sailor Scouts...that just like the two of you...THEY ARE DOOMED!!!" Jedite continued laughing, as he turned and walked back into the burning fire, disappearing completely in its midst. As he vanished, the flames died down to their normal level, leaving Raye and Serena behind, frightened for their lives. "What do we do now?" Serena asked. "Only thing we can do at this point..." Raye replied. 


End file.
